Made by Kathy Lauzon
I am making a BIG (6-1/2 ft) sculpture for a float in a small town parade this summer. He is sort of a replica of a 6″ tall wooden sculpture my late husband carved. Since the parade takes place during a festival to celebrate the Swedish heritage in this town, he’ll be painted to look like he’s wearing Swedish clothes and holding a fishing pole.
I used the papercrete recipe from this site using shredded paper, concrete, joint compound and glue. The inside is constructed of PVC pipe, foam core, a little spray foam, and any plastic waste I could get my hands on. I surfaced it with chicken wire and a coat of the papercrete. He is really tough!
Since I won’t have room for him in my studio after the parade, he’ll have to live outside. So, the goal here is to make him as weather hardy (in Minnesota!) as possible. My test pieces have held up well so far. Next, I’m going to make him a hat, then paint concrete sealer and oil based paint on him. I’ll post again when the dude is finished. This has been so fun! I really appreciate Jonni Good and this site for giving me ideas on how the heck to do this!
What a great figure sculpture – thanks for showing us the structure you used to hold him up, and the description of how he was made. I hope you’ll let us see how he turns out after he’s painted, too. I already know he’s going to be a big hit when he appears in the parade. 🙂
I submitted a second post on this sculpture a while ago, after the parade. I don’t see it on your site. Did I do something wrong? Should I submit it again?
Hi Kathy. No, you didn’t do anything wrong, and I did get your post. However, I’ve been really slow getting all submitted posts online in the last couple of months. I sold my house, bought a home that needs lots of updating, and I still don’t have a studio to work in. But your post will go online soon. I’m sorry it’s taken so long, but hope you can be patient for a little longer. 🙂