The Leeward Lounge

The Leeward Lounge has been moved!

2010-10-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

I have some good news. The Leeward Lounge has been remodeled and moved to it's own website.

Please check it out at http://theleewardlounge.com/

Login and pull up a stool. I'll see you there!

-Finkdaddy

Ohana and Other Delights

2010-07-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

Whew!! What a couple of crazy weeks that was! FOMCon and Ohana, back to back, were the two most amazing events I've ever been to. Good friends, old and new, great bands, terrific drinks, and of course, jack-assery, tom-foolery, and damn-fool-boobery, were all present in abundance. It took me most of this week to catch up on my sleep and rehydrate! My wife and I are already planning around next years trip. Pom Fie!!

So, the main reason for this post is to point out, to myself as well as you out there reading this, is that professionally, there is nothing I would rather do than create my art. There is no greater feeling that to have a person come up to me, wide-eyed and jaw open, when they see a new piece I've created. And when they love it enough to want to wear it, or put it on display in their homes for everyone to see, it fulfills me in a way that is hard to describe.

And so, dear reader, just know that I have lots of new and unique ideas in the works and The Leeward Lounge will, hopefully, take off in some new and exciting directions. It may take a bit of time, but as far as I'm concerned, it's the only way my life can go at this point.

What I am asking of you is simply to have your support. Not just to buy things from me (although that would be nice!), but to view this site and comment on what you see. I need you to sign on as a follower of the blog to increase my size in the cyber-world, and most of all I need you to tell people about me.

Put a tiki or two in your work cubicle. Dare to wear an aloha shirt on casual Friday. Learn to mix a real Trader Vic's Mai Tai. Invite friends over and listen to new and classic exotica artists like Martin Denny, Arthor Lyman, or WaiTiki. Visit your local tiki-friendly bars and restaurants as much as possible. In other words, light the torch of wonder inside you and use it to escape, even if only for a short while, to your own place of mystery and peace. Others will follow, so guide them and enjoy their company.

This will be a long ride to distant shores, so bring enough rum and limes and don't forget your uke!

Finkdaddy

Custom Tiki Chess Set

2010-06-14T21:36:00.002-05:00

Aloha!

This has been a long time in the works, but the first one is finally finished! This is only a prototype so I could decide on colors, so the final run may differ slightly from what you see here.

It's tricky to see in the pics, but the hula girl Queen has painted red lips, and the fez wearing King has a subtly painted fez, a goatee, and flowers on his aloha shirt. The board that comes with the set is made from oak and has four slide resistant feet on the bottom.

If anyone is interested in purchacing one, please leave me a comment here or send me an email and I'll make sure you get one. I am asking $200 plus shipping for the whole set with the board.

Thanks for looking!

My Newest Seahorse

2010-06-13T10:14:00.001-05:00

Good Morning everyone. I was at a wedding last night for my wife's cousin so I'm feeling a bit "off" this morning, if you catch my drift. ;)

There is a lot of things I have to finish up today, like braiding chords and such. There is only a week until my next show, so I want to make sure I'm not scrambling to do these things at the last moment. After that's all finished I will see how much carving I can do between then and the day I leave.

Here is a Seahorse that I finished up a couple of nights ago. I'm not sure what type of wood it is, but it is very dense and heavy. I know this will sound funny, but while I was carving it, the wood smelled like chocolate and bacon!

Have a good Sunday everyone,

Fink

Roaring Dan's Rum

2010-06-10T17:47:00.001-05:00

I was recently introduced to Rehorst Gin and Vodka, both of which are made here in Milwaukee at Rehorst Distilleries.

Last week they started selling Roaring Dan's Rum and I just bought my first bottle a few minutes ago. So, I thought I might do a tasting, right here, right now!

First of all, the bottle. I love the flip-style top on it. It sort of gives it some character, like some of those old beer bottles from the '50s. The simple lable with a nautical theme are very cool too.

Here is a picture and some text that I lifted from their website:

"Roaring Dan's Rum is distilled from fermented grade "A" sugar cane molasses. Before a second distillation, pure Wisconsin maple syrup is added. The rum is then aged in a combination of new charred American white oak barrels and used bourbon barrels. The hint of maple we add gives Roaring Dan's Rum a buttery sweetness on palette entry followed by a dry finish. Try it straight up or in your favorite mixer. Be sure to check our cocktail database for some great rum cocktails.

Who was Roaring Dan?

All rum's need a pirate. Our's is no exception. Our pirate is Roaring Dan Seavey. Unlike some of those other rum pirates Dan didn't wear feathers and knee britches. He didn't have a boat load of thugs to do his dirty work and he sure doesn't have an expensive marketing company plastering his face in every bar and liquor store in the free world. No Madison Avenue types have ever even heard of Dan, but you can be sure Dan was all pirate.

Dan didn't ply the Caribbean, his home was on the Great Lakes. Although the facts and fiction of Dan's life have become twisted over the years, we do know Dan was the only man ever arrested for piracy on the Great Lakes.

Dan owned a saloon and brothel in Milwaukee and left to join the Alaskan gold rush only to return to the Great Lakes broke.

In 1908 Dan stole a ship- the Nellie Johnson by getting the captain and crew drunk.

The Tuscarrora, a government Revenue Cutter based in Milwaukee was sent to pursue Dan and eventually captured him after firing a warning shot from their cannon.

After being taken to Chicago to face charges Dan was released and later charges were mysteriously dropped.

Classic Wisconsin has a great article on Dan Seavey.

Roaring Dan's Rum is flavored with 100% pure maple syrup from Anderson's Maple Syrup in Cumberland WI.

Roaring Dan's Maple Flavored Rum Contains 45% Alcohol By Volume (90 Proof)."

Quite an interesting story, no?

I poured about 2 ounces in a mai tiai glass and gave it a once over. It is light-amber in color and very clear. For a young rum it had suprisingly good legs on the glass. The nose is a bit strong at first, but lingers a long time with hints of vanilla and butterscotch (at least to my nose).

The initial taste is very pleasant, but get's very hot quickly. I suppose that might be what you'd expect from a young rum. The finish, however, is quite nice. The bottle says it is "Maple Flavored", but I was only able to percieve the slightest maple flavor, and that might have only been because I was expecting it. To me it tastes very buttery, which I love. Keep in mind, I'm no expert by any stretch.

I'll be making some Mai Tais tonight, so I'll post some recipes and reviews again very soon.

A toast to Captain Seavey! Arrrrrrrrgh!!

Big Lizzie

2010-06-09T18:09:00.003-05:00

Here is another piece that will be at Ohana this month. It's a lizard framed inside bamboo and hibiscus flowers. I should explain that it is entirely out of one piece of Abezia wood. While it looks as if the "bamboo" is tied together at the corners, it is all one continuous carving.

Mahalo!

Mysterious Surfer Girl

2010-06-08T17:19:00.006-05:00

Aloooooha!

This is the latest installment of my Hula-Girl series. This mysterious lady loves to catch waves on her zebra wood surfboard. I wonder if she looses the hula skirt before going in the water?

She will be making an appearance at Ohana later this month. Don't miss it!

Cute little Starfish

2010-06-08T11:26:00.003-05:00

This is my first attempt to post from my work computer. And yes, Scott, I'm on my lunch break!

I made this cute little starfish last night out of a piece of Maple. I used some oak -colored stain on it, which is something I don't normally do, but I wanted to see if I could make the details stand out a little bit. You can't see in the picture, but it is carved front and back to look like the real thing. 14 days until FOMCon!!

Aloha!! It's been way too long.

2010-06-06T19:12:00.005-05:00

OK, so it's been a year and a half since my last post. I will admit that I'm quite embarrassed because of it. Sorry!!
I wanted to touch base and assure you all (especially the 2 people who follow me here) that there will be many, many more and at a much more frequent rate.

There has been a lot going on for me, carving wise, and a few big things on the horizon. The biggest of these will be Ohana and the Fraternal Order of Moai convention, both of which are happening later this month. This coming week I will post a whole bunch of information on these, and other events for those of you who might not be aware that they are going on.

Preparing for these has kept me quite busy. Shown here are just a few examples of what I've been working on. I will be showing all my new work here during the next couple of weeks. If you see something you like, chime in and let me know! And, if you see something you'd like to take home I will make sure that you do.

Now, mix yourself your favorite cocktail and look around for a little while. Tomorrow I will be posting pics of my newest hula girl as well as some other tropical treats.

Mahalo!

Christmas Orders

2008-10-05T19:04:00.002-05:00

I wanted to say here that if anyone wants something carved before Christmas they should probably order it now. I usually get a lot of people looking for presents in December and I often have to turn down orders because there isn't enough time to complete them.
So if you want anything, a Hula Girl, a Mermaid, or anything else that you can think of, let me know right away so I can get it into your hands before the Holidays. Orders will be made on a first pay, first carved basis.

Thanks for all of your continued support. You have no idea how much it all means to me.
Mahalo!!

My First Mermaid

2008-10-05T18:52:00.004-05:00

I was asked to carve a mermaid for a good customer of mine who also happens to be a fabulous artist herself. The lighter wood that you see is maple, and the darker wood is mahogany. The starfish in her hair is a tiny piece of bone. I've used a lot of mahogany before, but this particular piece was far more beautiful than any piece I've carved before. Sometimes you just get lucky that way! This was very fulfilling to me and I look forward to making more.
Thanks again for looking!

Carmen Miranda Hula Girl

2008-10-05T18:42:00.003-05:00

This was a very fun hula girl that I carved for a good friend of mine. She wanted my hula girl holding a tiki drink and wearing a Carmen Miranda fruity hat. I carved the fruit individually from different woods and bone and pieced it together from there. Once again, she's holding a yummy cocktail. Looks like our hula girl has been having a lot of fun lately!

Cocktail Hula Girl Complete

2008-10-05T18:35:00.003-05:00

It just occurred to me that I never showed pics of the Cocktail girl I started. This was a fun one to do, especially the little serving tray and drinks. The shaker is polished aluminum. I tried to get a lot of natural looking movement from the skirt, so I had to carve each piece of the skirt with several dimensions in mind.

Mai Tais for everyone!

Long Overdue Update and the Pineapple

2008-10-05T18:23:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone. Boy, it's been a long while since my last update. There's lots of stuff going on in my life right now! I'm in school again for the first time in over 20 years, so a lot of my free time goes into that. But somehow I've still found some time to unwind with some carving tools.
I can't remember what was carved in what order, but I'll post a few updates here so you can see what I've been up too.

I'll start off by showing you this pineapple that is made from bone. I had to make a bone master in order to create a silicone mold for a project I was commissioned for (which I'd better get my ass in gear and finish!). The original bone piece was sold as a pendant.
Thanks, everyone, for being patient and for your very kind words and support!

Cocktail girl started

2008-01-24T19:24:00.000-05:00

I've finally started a new piece. This time our favorite hula girl will be serving cocktails in bamboo tiki mugs and will be shaking a real metal shaker! She's going to be a challenge because there will be so many teeny, tiny little pieces to fabricate. She'll be a gem, though, once she's all finished up.

This Hula Girl is still unaccounted for, so if you're interested feel free to contact me either here or at fredstikilounge@gmail.com .

Mahalo!

Another Ukulele Lady

2008-01-24T19:15:00.000-05:00

Here's one more girl I finished up before Christmas. She's another hanging uku-lady. This carving was rather magical for me. It has been a struggle to take a 2 dimensional idea and carve it out into 3 dimensions. But for whatever reason this one just came together without my usual grumbling and cursing! I wish I could say that it will be easier from now on, because it wont be, but I am grateful for these moments of insight no matter how brief they may be.

A few more random carvings

2008-01-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

There were a few carvings that I needed to get finished before the holidays. It was fun to do something outside of what I normally do. These were all done within a few days of each other. That may seem difficult to some of you, but I really do my best work when I'm under a time crunch. I procrastinate more than anyone I know. Hell, it took me a month just to write this!

The shave brushes were a blast and turned out quite well considering how nervous I was to carve them. They went to South Florida as Christmas gifts. The shark pendant is a bone carving that my brother gave to a friend.

The Octopus and Marq resins also went out over the holidays. I make these by request anytime, so let me know if you'd like any. They are definitely more affordable than most of my work.

I wish everyone a terrific year to come!

Rollergirl Complete!

2008-01-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a long time since my last update. Life has taken it's usual twists and turns but all is well and good. Here are the pics of the completed Rollergirl. It was a challenge to get the jammer head to look like a shrunken jammer head. I hope I succeeded! This one went to a woman in Ohio who plays Roller Derby in a league in Cincinnati. Maybe I'll bring her good luck!

Rollergirl progress

2007-11-18T13:32:00.000-05:00

I'm stopping now for the Packer game. More pics later.

Go Pack!!

2007-11-17T17:36:00.001-05:00

There's still another arm to go, but here's where I'm at right now. It's been a busy weekend, I wish I had more free hours in the day!

Mahalo!

Rollergrrrrl

2007-11-13T22:17:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much time to carve this week, but I've managed to squeeze in some time for a commision piece. It's for a woman who plays roller derby. There are some fun things planned for this one, so stay tuned!

She's only about 3" now, but I think she'll be closer to 4" when I'm finished. I have to give big props to my daughter, who helped me a ton with the sketches on this one. Thanks for looking!

Torch Dancer!

2007-11-03T12:46:00.001-05:00

It's been a good week for carving. I got a lot finished. The Torch Dancer needs a chord yet, and another coat or two of clear, but she's complete otherwise.

I have a top secret Christmas project to do this weekend, but I'll show pics after the holidays. I'll probably start a new girl early next week.

Go Packers!

Just a hint of cleavage, sort of

2007-10-31T21:04:00.000-05:00

It's been a crazy, busy few days here, but I finally got some carving time in tonight. She's going to be holding either a spear or a tiki torch, I haven't decided yet.

I hope all of you in South Florida are dealing OK with the weather down there, and my thoughts go out to those of you in California for both the fires and the earthquake. All of you be safe.

Hula Girl #3

2007-10-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

I've finaly started a new girl today.There's not much to show yet, but here she is so far.

Mahalo for looking!

She's got legs!

2007-10-22T19:02:00.000-05:00

Hey folks! This past week has been pretty busy for me, a lot of activities with my kids, a wedding to attend , and lots and lots of carving.

There's still the chord and toggle to make yet, but basically she's all finished. She measures in at just under 4.5".

This past week I was mentioned in a ukulele blog called Uke Hunt. It was pretty cool being talked about outside of my small circle of tiki friends. Here is the link: http://ukulelehunt.com/2007/10/19/friday-links-17/ .

Not sure what the next girl will be. Any suggestions?

Now she can strum

2007-10-20T15:46:00.000-05:00

Here's where I stopped today. Her right hand will eventually wrap around the fretboard once it's attached, and the line where the left one was attached will be covered by a neat bracelet idea I have. Thanks for looking. Now I'm off to a relative's wedding, more tomorrow!

Worlds Tiniest Uke!

2007-10-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

Here's where I ended up tonight. The body is cherry and the fretboard is makore. I don't know if you can tell in the pic, but there is a tiny red hibiscus flower on the body. Next I'll have to make some arms for her to play it with!

Uku Lady update

2007-10-15T21:24:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd show what I worked on tonight. Lot's more to go!!

Hula Girl #2, Ukulele Lady

2007-10-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

Last night I began my next piece. I've decided to carve a short series of pendants staring the girl from the last piece, but doing different things. This one will be her playing the Ukulele! It should be interesting to carve the teeny, tiny uke. I think it will be carved in cherry wood.

On a related subject; if anyone wants to jump in at any time to claim one of these as their own just let me know. I will ask you to pre pay, but the price will be a bit cheeper than if it gets put up for grabs.

Also, I should say that the first Hula Girl has already found a happy home in South Florida.

I'll keep posting pics as I go. Thanks everyone!

Hula Girl and other ideas

2007-10-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

Aloha everyone! I know it's been a long while since I've posted anything new, but here is something I've just completed. It's a Hula Girl composed of different types of wood and bone. The hair is made from Purple Heart, the body is Alaskan Yellow Cedar, the skirt is a combination of Curly Maple and Pau Rosa, and the skulls are made from real bone. It did take a while to make, but it's by far the most fun I've had carving anything. I'm really, really pleased with the look of the different woods together. I'm going to try and do that a lot more and hopefully it will become a sort of Finkdaddy trademark.

This Hula Girl already has a happy home in South Florida, but I have a feeling that there may be others like her in the future. If you would like one for your own, don't be afraid to drop me a line and we can make it happen.

Very soon I will begin posting a monthly story called Matuku Moon. When I get closer to doing that I'll post more information. It should be fun. I'm also going to try and commit to posting something at least once a week. That should include more carvings and probably just some thoughts and stories about what's going on in my life. So come back often and look around, I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

A weekend of change, again...

2007-07-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone! This is a busy weekend for me and my family as we are packing up a truck and moving back to Wisconsin. I will miss my friends more than I can say, and of course trading the warm, tropical climate for that of snow and frozen fingers is not my idea of a good time. But, it is what it is and we will make the best of it. I'm looking forward to digging my chisels into some Wisconsin pine!

Here is the update pics of the palm I started. There is a lot of color inside the log. There are bands of yellow, red, and even a little blue. I'm not sure why it happens, but I'm hoping it will stay the way it is once it's all finished. I'll be finishing him up in Wisconsin, sometime soon I hope.

I'll post here again once we're all settled in. Thanks everybody. Wish me luck!

Big Fink #4, progress pics

2007-07-05T09:45:00.001-05:00

I thought it would be interesting to show some pics along the way as I work on this next piece for those of you who may not visit any of the forums that I belong too.

This guy is a pretty heavy piece of cabbage palm. I took off the outer layer and roughed out the shape with a chainsaw, then I started creating it's figure with my chisels. The chisels in the box at the bottom of the first pic are my set of Flexcut chisels, and the ones laying on the top are a set of Irwin flat chisels.

I'll show more pics as he progresses so you can see the different stages he goes through.

If anyone is interested, #3 is still available. Thank you so much for visiting. Come back soon and see how the new guy is coming along!

Big Fink #3

2007-07-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

Hello all you tiki folk! It's been a while since my last update, and for that I apologize. The Hukilau was fantastic this year thanks to the many wonderful friends I've made over the last several months. I'm already working on next years trip.

I've finished #3, which I've been calling Sleepy Eyes. He was surprisingly difficult to carve. The coconut wood turned out to be a pretty hard wood. Cutting out all of the negative space was very physically demanding, since I wound up doing much of it with a small hand saw. I was scared of breaking off some of the hanging pieces. It all worked out in the end though.

He is just over 15 lbs and is 46" tall and 15" wide at the top. I'm asking $300 plus shipping. If you'd like to have him, just leave a post here or email me at fredstikilounge@gmail.com .

Thank you for looking!

Hand Painted Resin-cast Pendants and Magnets

2007-06-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

I wanted to display some of the resin-cast pendants and magnets that I have available. These are cast from molds of my own original bone and wood carvings. Since each one is hand painted by me, they each differ in color and style. The pieces you see at the base of the stand are fridge magnets.

Next week I'll take inventory of what I still have and will post pictures of each one that is for sale. If you'd like me to reserve something for you just let me know and I'll make sure you get one. Thanks for looking!

Busy summer ahead (I hope!)

2007-06-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, a great friend of mine who is also a master carver helped me out tremendously by locating several palm and pine logs. He helped me cut and deliver several of both to my home. I'm hoping to get 10 or 15 full sized tikis and masks out of these, which should keep me pretty busy for the next few months.

I know it sounds a bit presumptuous, but if you are interested in reserving one of these carvings now, just drop me an email and I'll make sure you get first dibs.

Big fink #2

2007-05-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

I just finished Big Fink #2 this morning. It's been a while since I created something in full 3 dimensions, so it was a lot of fun to carve. It's interesting how things that are tiny, impressive details on a pendant, become normal features on a full-sized piece.

He measures just under 22 inches tall. I'm asking $200. If you're interested, either leave a comment or email me at fredstikilounge@gmail.com .

Thank you!

Welcome to the Leeward Lounge!

2007-05-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

This site is a work in progress, so I'll just say a bit about myself, post a few pictures, and let you know what I hope will happen here.

Most of what I've done so far has been small, pendant sized wood and bone carvings; although lately I've begun some rather large pieces. All the pics you see here are just a few of the past pieces that have been sold over the last three or four years.

Of course, I plan on posting all my current pieces as they become available, but I also plan on posting an ongoing story I'm writing called, "Under the Umbrella Tree". It's a story about a Midwestern book keeper who gets involved in a fantastic island adventure. I'm hoping to post monthly chapters with illustrations.

I invite you to return to the Leeward Lounge as often as you can, and please feel free to comment on anything you see here. Thank you for stopping by!

Big Fink #1

2007-05-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

Here is my very first large tiki carving. He stands just under 5 feet tall and is meant to be a wall hanging. He's carved from a piece of palm log and has a deep, golden color grain. I stained parts of the mask a slightly darker shade to give him even more life.

He'll be sure and attract a lot of attention in any home or tiki bar.
I'm asking $300 for him.
If you are interested in taking him home, please either leave a comment here or email me at fredstikilounge@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Hand Carved Pendants Available

2007-05-14T10:09:00.000-05:00

Here are the four hand carved pieces that I currently have available for purchase. The Bannerfish is carved from a piece of hickory-smoked bone and has a beautiful golden patina. The Tiki Surboard is carved in basswood and would be a great gift for any surfer. The Moai Profile is made from a piece of gorgeous ziricote wood. The picture doesn't do it justice, the grain and color must be seen to be believed! The Seahorse was delicately carved in mahogany and has a tiny pua shell eye. He looks very happy, as will it's future owner.

I'm asking $40 each for both the Bannerfish and Tiki Surfboard, and I'm asking $70 each for the Ziricote Moai and Seahorse.

If you are interested in one of these pieces, please either leave a comment here or email me at fredstikilounge@gmail.com.

Thank You!