Welcome! My name is Louie Rochon. I love to dabble in many art forms - from whimsical, vibrantly-colored papier mache sculpture, to fine art photography, writing, cooking, gardening, home design and decoration. Although I primarily focus on photography these days, I've maintained this blog to help promote this amazing art form. Enjoy!

HOW TO USE THIS SITE: 
The (link) bar across the top will take you to some of my fanstastical papier mache creations.  The column to the right contains links to many different resources and detailed step-by-step tutorials. 

'Sr. Road Rage'

Everyone's Favorite ... This is not your sweehearted grammie!

This piece was inspired by a friend of mine, a retired grade school teacher. My anonymous friend is the epitome of a sweet old lady, grandmotherly right down to the black heel shoes and lace tops; kind, gentle and very quiet. BUT ... she shared with me one day about a little 'character flaw' that she possessed - a tendency to 'flip the bird' while flying down the road in her GTO. I cracked up and SENIOR ROAD RAGE was instantly inspired. Senior Citizens - LOVE IT!

GO, Grannie, GO!

This sculpture proves that ideas for new work can come from anywhere!

'E.Scape.COM'

Poor Louie - so many years on the computer compromised his motherboard...

'Killer Chicken' - A Fowl Attitude

"Killer Chicken" was inspired by a tee shirt worn by a customer that came into my gallery the summer of 2005.  He purchased the shirt while visiting an Arizona restaurant called CHUY's Baja Broiler, home of the Killer Chicken.

I instantly bonded with this chicken.  I mean - how could you not love a surfboard riding chicken with a fowl attitude?  Now THAT cracks me up. 

Then I went to work bringing him to life ...

'Bi-Polar'

'BiPolar' my favorite!

This piece mimics my 'unique mental condition.'

We grew very close over the 6 months it took to bring him (they) to life.

Look closely at the two distinct personalities conveyed in each of the two heads. Inspired by a condition often referred to as 'Manic Depression,' this piece speaks volumes to the many masks, emotions and what seems like distinct personality shifts that many of us enjoy.

Believe it or not, this piece sold to a phramaceutical salesman in Montreal, CA.

Go figure!

  

'The Critic'

'The Critic' scared the hell out of many unsuspecting customers as they entered into my papier mache studio and gallery in Ocean Shores, WA.

I attached a full length mirror to the wall so people could see that this was not a real guy! I was thinking of wiring up the arm to make it twitch on command (remotely) but decided it might give someone a heart attack.

Most people will patiently wait for the man standing in front of the modern art painting to leave so they can take a look. After noticing that this guy just isn't moving, they cautiously edge closer to discover - usually with loud laughter - that they've 'been had!' The Mad Artist is coming out of the painting, holding the well-dressed (full sized) man off the floor, by his neck. Scroll down to read the brochure that The Critic is holding.

'The Critic' is now enjoying a permanent home in Sedona WA. Lucky bastard!

'Bull Market'

Inspired by the DotCom Greedy Lust Age, this little critter is enjoying the ride on the 'Up-Side' - but what goes up, crashes. Eventually. Little did we know how much in the last 10 years!

'Reflections'

I created this piece in 2004-2005 as the result of an invitation / call to artists for their creative interpretation of the war in Iraq.  At the time, it was was NOT a popular piece. 

The nickname assigned to this piece from my friends is 'Grim Reaper' - more affectionately referred to as 'Grim.'

This is an imposing work that looms 6' tall.  It has a cloaked hood obscuring the face and is holding a tightly-wrapped bundle - which after closer inspection reveals little tufts of dark hair with faint blood stains on the wrapping.

Eventually curiosity gets to most people and they bend down to look up at the face, only to discover that there IS no face - just a mirror slanted back at an angle that reveals their own image.

This piece was constructed of heavy muslin cloth, initially dipped in a mix of carpenters and white glue, then 20-30 additional coats, hand applied.  The arms and hands were cast. Various coats of translucent acrylic washes were hand applied to create a rich, deep, lustrous yet ominous look.

I've given this piece to a good friend, Vietnam Veteran Michael D. Wilson, for his extensive art collection.

FisHeads!

'FisHeads' - how I love my little sea creatures. OK, here's the story...

Once upon a time, this obsessed papier mache artist decided he wanted to see what he could do with his art, so... he pulled the plug on all that was stable, uprooted himself and his 17 year old son, left the Seattle area and moved to a small beachfront town on the Washington coast. 'Ocean Shores.' There he wanted to create 'real' art, something that 'said something' about 'whatever.'

 

So, he worked hard and built a 'killer' studio and gallery. He started working and building grand (and very expensive' art. People came from far away places, inspired by numerous newspaper articles about this 'crazy artist' on the coast that makes these incredible scultpure. And the people came, and came, admired the work, brought their friends and left. They didn't buy anything - they just left.

 

It wasn't long before reality sunk in and I realized that the rent and utilities needed to be paid and that if I wanted to survive, I'd better get to work creating something that would sell! Well, I needed to create something that would take less than a week to complete, be cool enough that people would want to hang it, well, wherever. And it had to be priced where the average Joe could afford to drag it home.

 

The idea of 'FisHeads' came as, of course, it was the beach. They were fun and bright, took only a few days to create, could be pricedx under $500 and they sold like crazy - I mean, I couldn't build them fast enough dfor the sworms of folks that would come to seashore every weekend. Word spread far and wide and folks from all over came and wanted a FisHead. Business was good. Very good!

You would think I'd be happy, right? Wrong!

What I'd done was left a job to create a job. After 40 or so FisHeads, the passion drained. I was so busy making FH's to pay the bills, that I had no time to create what I wanted to create - BIG art that said, 'something.'

After the years lease was up, I split, with my tail between my legs but proud thatonce again, I went for the dream - I tried. It was a blessing, really, in that I would discover photography over the next 5 years - a passoon that has not left me and is only fueled each day.

Here are a few samples of some of my beloved creatures...