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What you need to know about Tiki Art, Torches, Masks and Mugs

With the revival of Tiki culture Americans are making use of tropical décor, Tiki Bars and other Tiki artifacts to transform their areas used for socializing into those resembling a tropical paradise. This has caused an unsurpassed increase in demand for Tiki Totems, Tiki Statues and Tiki Masks which are used to cheer up uninteresting dreary garden settings and transform them into an island paradise. Used either indoors or outdoors these Tiki Artifacts make great conversation pieces.

The word "tiki" originally referred to a carved statue representing a Polynesian god. More generally, "tiki" can refer to any wood or stone carving made by Pacific islanders. It may be a ten-foot wooden statue, a talisman carved from greenstone and worn around the neck or a mask. Most Tikis are depicted standing in the traditional Polynesian "power posture," which is knees flexed, head up and arms held curved at the sides.

The art of carving tikis has attracted many tiki artists and recently seminars and schools have opened to teach newcomers the basics of this type of artwork. Tiki art is not acknowledged as an art by all fine art critics and therefore the public are seen to be the most important judges of these artworks. This is welcomed by many artists as they have a free reign on their creativity which allows them to focus on symbolism, craftsmanship and originality resulting in many unique and extraordinary masterpieces. Facial expressions or other features are used to convey the personality traits of the particular gods.

Tiki Art has been a National pastime for what seems like forever. The tiki prints and paintings hung in bars and homes across the nation have allowed us to experience the inner most essence of what Tiki Culture is all about. It is not a Tiki mug or just a picture print or Tiki Bar; it is a feeling and emotion of a better more tranquil yet fun-filled life. Tiki art prints and velvet paintings have found their way around the world and can be found in almost every establishment in America. With advancement in printing technologies that make it possible to duplicate in prints, Tiki Art was allowed to grow and thrive as everyone could have representation of their tiki style.

Other than the Tiki Statues, Tiki Masks and Tiki Art people are now adding their own style to their Tiki Bars with the addition of authentic Tiki Mugs. Originally the tiki mugs seen in many American homes during the 1950's and 1960's were those that came from dark island lounges and made their way back home in tourists luggage. These would adorn mantels and shelves as proud souvenirs collected on visits to Hawaiian hangouts. Original Tiki Mugs were decorated with Pacific island mask and totem motifs. These made great souvenirs and served as reminders of tropical vacations, hula girls and warm sandy beaches. Tiki mugs were used as a means of advertising and bars and lounges began giving Tiki mugs away or selling them at bargain prices thereby creating brand names. Tiki mugs were a great deal for everyone. Now Tiki Mugs have come back in a big way and the variety is mind-boggling. Other items for drinking that are growing in popularity are coconut cups, decorated with small silk flowers.

Any Tiki event must make use of Tiki Torches for lighting and here the choice is seemingly endless. They range from miniature torches that can be taken with you to the beach and are fuelled with oil, to Tabletop Tiki Torch which adds an island touch to your outdoor lifestyle and then there are Tiki Torches that are fitted to 5' poles with stronger flames for use to light up a larger area.

All in all the Tiki frenzy seems to have hit every industry in America which makes a venture into the Tiki culture exciting, there being so much scope that each individual can make his Tiki experience unique.

Article Source: http://www.articlepyramid.com

The author makes tiki masks in his spare time. To read more on a tiki mask visit tikibarsite.com

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