The Finished Costume (sort of )

This weekend was the Whyte Avenue Art Walk here in Edmonton and it was the debut of my newest costume:

It was very smokey here in Edmonton due to forest fires. It was a very hot day because of it.

As you can tell from the photos it's a very different look from where I started and that was what i was planning to do from the beginning.

There's actually even more flowers added to the costume, then what is shown, but you get the idea. Now why did I paint it green in the first place if I knew I was going to paint over it? Knowing I was going to be wearing this out in the sun, over time the costume will crack and crumble I wanted the green to come through that damage causing a natural look to the costume. Now did it work? Yes and no. I got the green, I wanted, in areas and not so much at all in others, it will need some repair before Fringe happens in August.

 

 More pictures of my hat and pants in development, I added more flowers and paint but you get the general idea. 

Now what did I not get to do? LOTS of stuff. I wanted bugs on my costume! This was my Bug Collector, I bought butterflies and I made these little gold maggots to be sewn into the costume BUT I was reaching a tad too far with my own skills as a painter/costume maker/performer in the time that I had available to me. Those butter flies where utter garbage, they broke when i tried sawing them on and my maggots just looked terrible. It couldn't be done. (for now)

Another problem: it's just a little too weird and I like my weird. People ask me: why the Copper Cowboy? Honest answer is: it pays the bills. My audience loves seeing a more traditional statue as a apposed to something they don't recognize. I get more audience interaction, the photos happen more often, and the tips are better. I'm not saying don't go out there, because I love going out there, but it really is about me. Its for me when I want moth puppets in my costume, because its cool. My opportunities are limited here in the Great White North so its a give or take when I have available avenues to experiment in.

Progress is here

Yes, it is true! I have have been busy for the last week and made actual progress on my new statue costume for this year. NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT, STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS. Just wanted to get that out there before these pictures are posted, its been a good week, they are far from complete, but I wanted to give an update as to where I am currently doing. As I said in my previous post its currently called the "Bug Collector" and that still the mission but I had some set backs with the puppet i was working on, I found the prototype just too bulky to use and will need to design something much smaller. This will push my timetable too far back to have it time for the Edmonton Arts Walk coming next week, so I intend to have the puppet made in time for the Edmonton Fringe which is in the middle of next month. I WILL HAVE A COSTUME MADE THIS COMING WEEK. I just hope I have great photos to post (and time to post, next festival is immediately after).

So lets start with the basics: the Shirt and Pants

I bought a small surplus of those shirts, this will be third costume using that design. It will look a lot like my previous work, just with a different theme. More colour for sure.

I added Gesso to this costume, and if you been fallowing my work, you probably know that using gesso is not a good idea. Except this one time. Maybe. I hope. Anywho, what I'm going for this time around is that I actually want the costume to crumble a little, what I am aiming for is a weathers/crumbling look and with my movements in the suit. I'm hoping to see it happen naturally on the costume.

the first layer (or two) of paint on the pants and shirt. Is this what they'll look like? Not really. Not even close. this is just the under layer, the top will be, well you'll see.

Before I get the next layer of paint on, I am sawing on flowers to this costume. There will be a LOT of flowers on this costume, sewing them on one by one. this will be the most time I have ever spent on a single costume because of those flowers, I'm not even half done yet. what you are seeing here are flowers I want painted in the same shade as the rest of the costume and the rest will be done in layers as I progress through. Paint will be happening in the morning.

Always wear gloves when working with spray paint, always. This happened two days ago, and I'm still digging paint from under my finger nails.

And that's it! One hint I will say: rainbows, bleeding rainbows. That sounds like too much information to be a small hint but its too late now. I've already typed it.

Dusted off my old Twitter account

If you fallow Twitter at all my handle is @CopperStatue . I'm planning to actually use it this year, post photos and other highlights from my whateverthisis life as a living statue.

New tools of the trade

When I am not performing outside I work retail in a really really big mall here in the city of Edmonton called the West Edmonton Mall. I have worked there for a number of years and with a bit of patience i acquired a number of discarded widow displays and other items that I reused for the store where i work and for myself including this:

This might not look like much but it's been a real asset when painting costumes. Before i would often try and hang it from the roof somehow, usually with a coat hanger or bungee cord but with this i can easily adjust the height, its weighted at the bottom, and very portable. Not only did I find this i also found the upper half of a mannequin, meaning no more cardboard bodies to build under the sleeves and torso. Here is a costume I used for a Kids in the Hall concert here in the city:

The character I was replicating was literally called the Axe Murderer from a skit found here.
It took a while to get the right red blood look, but I am happy with the results. As you can see I'm using the mannequin to paint the suit and it felt so good to use that body shape while painting, I can see the features and where they laid on the suit. I didn't have to second guess myself and it makes me wish i found these plastic body parts soon. It would saved me a few headaches.

Now, if you have been fallowing my blog, I said I will be working on a puppet for my next costume, and I am, but I have been delayed again. I take responsibility for that, but I do fully intend to have a working piece just in time for this years Whyte Ave. Arts Walk taking place in July. I don't quite remember if I posted the prototype, it was..OK? I am not entirely happy with it and it needs time for a revision. In the mean time i will be working on the costume itself and will be looking for supplies in the coming weeks.

A Short video from Fort Edmonton Park

 

This video was produced by Fort Edmonton Park as a promotional piece for an upcoming show called She'll Be Coming Around the Mountie playing at the Capitol Theatre back September. I honestly completely forgot about this video until very recently, my bit starts around the 1:09 mark.

I hope you enjoy it, and I'll be sending an update very soon in regards to my costume. Making puppets are hard! Yes, I am making a puppet for my newest costume, and that's all I can say now until I can get a proper prototype together; that doesn't completely fall apart when I use it. I'll be picking up new clothes this week to paint and I got new tools to use that SHOULD make it easier to create with. We'll find out soon!

A Short Summary of Photos from a Photoshoot

a few weeks ago, I FINALLY got quality shots down from a professional photographer and let me tell you: what a difference it makes. I've had lots of pictures taken of me over the last few years as a statue (it's how i make a living) but when you invest the time and money for someone to comedown and take pictures for you, it's night and day. There so good, and having the confidence to use them around in my promotional material is amazing; it feels good to know I'm giving them something that best represents me.

Here are a few pictures taken from that shoot, all credit goes to Jenn Crebas Photography and website can be found here: https://jenncrebasphotography.wordpress.com/

One thing i can say about being a cowboy as a statue: I can get away with a stubbly face.

I do a lot of yoga, and the photographer does a lot photos for yoga instructors...it was inevitable

Love this one!

The shot that pays for the whole shoot.

New videos from last years Edmonton International Fringe Festival

Here are a few videos I did last year that was recently able to acquire, and my apologies for not posting for the last few months! It's been a long winter here in Canada, hitting lows of -25c, -30c or lower, but I'm already in the early stages of a build for the new year. It's getting late, I know, but I've got new ideas and I'm quite excited to work on them right away. I don't want to give away too much right now because there is just too much up in the air but what I hope to accomplish is something...buggy. Something...creepy. Something... people may not expect.

 In other news I finally got some brand new photos done recently by a good friend of mine Jenn Crebas Photography. I'll create a separate link and another post later this week but here are a few examples:

Jenn Creba's work can be found here: https://jenncrebasphotography.wordpress.com/