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The Monte Files
January 3, 2009
Post-dated January 11th, my niece Camille created this.
Post-dated January 28th, my son Adrian created this with his new industrial emboidery machine…good luck with your new biz Adrian!
Who or what is Monte? (“Mon-tee”)
Borne out of inattentiveness in a grade six science class, I drew Monte everywhere on my friends’ notebooks, on everything I owned, even painted him on the back window of a friend’s car during the late ’70’s, which I have no photo of, unfortunately. 
Monte has managed to come back to life every few years since then in some form or another. The cartoon head is originally blue and drawn along with different hand gestures, but the basic shape can morph into any figure simply by changing the eyes, shape of the head, adding ears or a nose or a suitable body.
The Monte Files were listed on my very first website (2003) with the invitation for you, whoever and wherever you are, despite your age or drawing capabilities, to send in your version of Monte or a character inspired by him, and add it to the collection. The Monte Files are back, listed as a permanent page on this website and the invitation stands. 
Your character doesn’t even have to resemble Monte at all, and can be created using whatever media you wish. Scan him, trace him, shred him to bits then reassemble him, make a collage with magazine clippings, write a quip or add hand gestures…no rules except be kind and have fun with it; Monte’s up for anything….
Children, adults, artists or not, or if you have a website of your own that you’d like to promote in The Monte Files then send a jpeg image of your version of Monte, or a character inspired by him, along with any information you wish to share to nikki_coulombe@hotmail.com. I have no knowledge of how to, nor a desire to use your information in an unethical way, so you have no worries about that.
When we were in California recently we met some ladies at a rest stop who were driving to New York City from Alaska in a beat up old car. Friends, and people they met along the way signed their car. Monte travels!
Categories: design, experimental, mixed media, Other Artists, series, Smile | 3 Comments »
3 Responses to “The Monte Files”
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January 4th, 2009 at 11:06
Nikki,
Your Salish Whorl Chair is beautiful, what a conversation piece. Very creative as are your characters.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:06
Is Monte a Manatee?
January 7th, 2009 at 11:06
Chris: thanks, and Virginia, he does have a manatee face doesn’t he? I never saw that before..especially because of the nostrils. No, I had not heard of manatees when he was created. I chose blue skin because I thought it to be the most outrageous color for skin…but he was also drawn pre-Smurf, so it’s interesting that they are blue as well. Universal mind?