The Monte Files
Monte snow sculpture, Winter 1989
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Who is Monte (“Mon-tee”) and what are the Monte Files?
Borne in a grade six science class, Monte made an appearance everywhere on my friends’ notebooks, on everything I owned, even painted him on the back window of a friend’s car in 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.
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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 artistic capabilities, to send in your version of Monte or a character inspired by him, and add it to the collection. Well, 
The Monte Files are back, and the invitation stands.
Your character can be created using any sort of media. Scan any version of Monte here and re-invent him, trace him or print out pages from the Monte Coloring Book at the bottom of this page, write a quip or add hand gestures. There are no rules except have fun with it; Monte’s up for anything! One of my neices shredded him to bits then reassembled him into a beautiful mosaic. Children, adults, artists or not, send a jpeg image of your Monte interpretation to nikki_coulombe@hotmail.com, and I’ll post it here.
My neice Camille Coulombe scanned and printed Monte, shredded then glued the image back together as a paper mosaic. Awesome Job Camille!
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The basic Monte face can change entirely but still be used as a starting point for ideas toward finding a new character. 5 ft. tall Leslie Park Elementary School prop for Christmas play, 1988
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Mr. Not Stale, Knoxdale Elementary School’s annual Bake Sale mascot (Ottawa 1990), named in a contest by a very clever Grade 2 student. She won one of the two 12″ stuffed characters I sewed and awarded to the top two winners.
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Monte Descending A Staircase, 2005, ode to Marcel Duchamp
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Momarch Butterfly, 1999 model home wall mural in baby nursery, inspired the Mommy Nature series
Sunny, mural detail computer enhanced
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Momarch Butterfly and Beeing a Mom, part of the Mommy Nature series, 11 x 14 Acrylics on canvas 2004. NFS, Prints and Cards available, see link above.
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Paint Shop Pro computer effects
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Is That You, Monte? Paint Shop Pro effects
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Sock Puppet by Adrian Coulombe, Pencil on paper 2005
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Digital drawing by Jim Drury, 2005
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Digital drawing by Jim Drury, 2005
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Digital effects by Jim Drury, 2005
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When we were in California during Fall 2008 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 now travels!
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Cookie Monte, traditional Sugar Cookie recipe, stamp made from polymer clay
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Cookie Monte, stamp made from polymer clay.
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Cookie Monte, stamp made from polymer clay. Traditional Sugar Cookie recipe.
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Monte Cycles, 2006
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Monte Cycles bike decal
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On the cover of Colorado Cyclist
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Monte Is My Homey, digital 2006
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Monte Pac – Monte is my Homey
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Monte Studios You Tube logo (The opinions expressed by the You-Tuber are not necessarily those of Monte or his Artist!)
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Computerized industrial embroidery machine program by Adam Coulombe, 2008
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Testing colored threads and fine tuning Adrian’s new computerized industrial embroidery machine programmed with a Monte design, 2009
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Digitally Embroidered Monte, High quality cotton Flexfit (TM) baseball cap | |
| 25.00 each Free shipping in U.S. and Canada |  |
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Monte Hat by Adrian Coulombe, industrial embroidery, Jan. 28, 2009
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Monte Balloon, Paint Shop Pro effects
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1) 
2)
1) By changing a few small details Monte can morph into anything, and 2) you don’t have be cutesy, as in Look Ma, No Rules!”.
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Monte speaks – if you would rather write a cartoon quip, a poem or a story about Monte, that would be interesting too!
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The most recent Monte was spotted during April 2011 in the form of a rock, so you see he really is a master of disguise and shape-shifting!
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Monte Coloring Book