Hala Kahiki in the northern suburbs of Chicago has the largest collection of Witco I have ever seen. I actually did a blog post just highlighting all the Witco pieces there and there’s a lot! Another place that has a respectable collection of Witco is Chef Shangri-La…
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Tiki VIP #50 Chrissy Weena – Ceramics by Weena Bee
I recently was in Denver on a home tiki bar tour. About thirty of us climbed onboard a chartered bus and it drove us all around to three home tiki bars in and around the Denver. One of the tiki bars was about forty minutes outside of Denver so to kill time we did tiki trivia and I actually won! The prize was a tiki mug made by Chrissy Weena. This mug was beautiful! Chrissy has also made mugs for some of the local bars in Denver like Hell or High Water. Here is the story of Chrissy and Ceramics by Weena Bee…
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Straight Edge Tiki #5- Libations Arts for Brain Health Coloring Book (Eric Spruth)
I recently stopped drink alcohol because of health reasons and as of this writing I haven’t had a tiki drink in over four months and counting! I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the drinking I have done over the course of my life and even thou I never plan on drinking again, I have and always will have a relationship with alcohol. It was mostly good until it wasn’t. Unless you never started drinking, you also have a relationship with alcohol and hopefully that relationship is a good one.
The Libations Arts for Brain Health Coloring Book was created for this reason. It’s a coloring book that makes you think about your relationship with alcohol. Eric Spruth is an art therapist and he is going to tell you about this therapeutic coloring book…
Tiki VIP #49 Lowtiki – Tiki Mug Artist from The Pacific NW
I’m always excited to see new ideas when it comes to tiki, especially tiki mugs. Mugs from Lowtiki have a distinct style pulling from the spooky, the tropical and the beautiful. Sam, is the woman behind these incredible mugs and she’s from the Pacific North West just like me and when you live in a city that rains nine months out of the years, Sam’s mugs brighten the day! Here’s is Sam’s story…
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Tiki VIP #47 Velvetiki – Gwen Rosewater
What do you do when you when you don’t like to go out and rather stay home? Well, if your Gwen Rosewater, you paint! Velvet paintings to be exact. Gwen’s velvet paintings are truly amazing and if you’re interested in buying one of your own, you can find her as Velvetiki on Esty. Here is Gwen’s story…
Witco Hunting At Hala Kahiki
I think it’s safe to say that Hala Kahiki located in River Grove, Illinois may have the largest collection of Witco anywhere!
Tiki VIP #36 Bobby Doran – Graffitiki
Graffiti and Tiki, what a combination! Bobby Doran’s art, Graffitiki, combines elements of tiki with graffiti and a little bit of nostalgia thrown in for good measure. What makes Bobby’s art so special is that it pulls from the past, yet is still firmly planted in the present day. I could totally see Graffitiki painted on the sides of buildings just like Banksy work, but it’s tiki! Here is Bobby Doran’s story …
Vermin Tiki: Mini Tiki-Inspired Toys And Mugs!
Collecting Tiki mugs can be fun, but they can take up a lot of room. Imagine if you could shrink those Tiki mugs down, like to the size of a quarter! This is exactly what Vermin Tiki does. The mugs aren’t shrunken down; they are carved that way! Here is what Vermin Tiki is all about…
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Tiki VIP #16 Clee Sobieski (Tiki Artist)
Clee Sobieski: pronounced SEE-lee SOH-bee-ES-kee
When I first saw Clee’s work at Tiki Kon 2016, I knew I wanted to do a post about this talented fellow. Clee’s art pulls from Tiki, Mid-Century, and everything in between. The thing I love most about Clee’s work is that it’s totally unique and timeless. When you see a painting by Clee, you know it’s his. And now you know how to pronounce his name correctly! Let’s get to know Clee a little better…
Munktiki – Behind The Scenes And A Brief History
There is nothing cooler than a family business and it’s even cooler when that family business makes Tiki mugs! Munktiki is Debba Debba, Paul, their son Miles, and Mile’s wife Annie. If you have been to Hale Pele, the Shameful Tiki Room, 3 Dots And A Dash, or Smuggler’s Cove, you have probably sipped out of a Tiki mug made from Munktiki. The operations of Munktiki are based in Portland (Paul and Deb) and Astoria (Miles and Annie). I asked Paul how long his “commute” to work is. He replied, “Three minutes, five if he needs some coffee!” Miles has been working with ceramics all his life and has about the same commute time! I asked Miles about his interest in ceramics…
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