SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Sculptor Monique Robert is marshalling a myriad of monsters in midtown Yellowknife. Her work space on Forrest Park seems more like a whimsical museum than a home studio.

Sculptor Monique Robert depicted this stallion leaping through a wall using papier mache. The life-sized piece will be exhibited at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre from Sept. 14 to 27 as part of the Aurora Arts Society's sixth annual Artsweek. - photo courtesy of Monique Robert

Robert fashions realistic-looking, supernatural animals loosely based on classical Greek and medieval European myths. Her retinue includes a muskox minotaur, dragons, giraffes, zebras, gargoyles and a centaur that is half-man, half-caribou.

"You can do whatever you want with (myth) and there are no rules," she said. "I can come up with some really twisted characters that seem to come to life."

Even more fantastical is the fact that Robert creates her life-sized creatures using a specialized form of papier mache. The sculptures are rugged and strong, with the look of painted wood and the solid, smooth texture of finely-sanded fibreglass. She experimented with the medium until she got the recipe just right.

"There's nothing out there I've seen like it," she said.

Robert began sharing the secrets of her craft about 15 years ago in Ottawa. Her one-page information sheet quickly grew into a pamphlet. Now she is sharing her art in an upcoming how-to book, filled with 150 photos and 80 diagrams illustrating the art of sculpting with paper. The self-published art manual is due out later this year and will be stocked at the Yellowknife Book Cellar.

For years Robert applied her expertise as a sculptor and painter to film and television sets as well as to the museum industry. She worked on exhibits at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que., Ottawa's Museum of Natural History and the National War Museum, as well as at institutions in Nova Scotia and B.C.

"I love getting lost in research material," she said.

Her studies of animal musculature and human anatomy bring a detailed realism to her sculpture and sketches.

Since moving North four years ago, Robert has completed numerous large-scale paintings for a variety of clients, including a mural for the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre's Kuukpak exhibit. The 18-foot painting backs a display of ancient artifacts discovered in a dwelling dating to around 1000 A.D.

Robert also collaborated on the historical legacy mural alongside more than a dozen other members of the Aurora Arts Society. The 96-foot-long mural will be installed downtown next month.

Many of her recent paintings draw from her experiences travelling in India. She painted a series of portraits of people and architecture she encountered during a three-month tour of the country in early 2008.

"It was a visual extravaganza," she said. "Everywhere you looked there was a burst of colour and drama."

This weekend Robert is working on a large painting inspired by a fall visit to the Dempster Highway. Robert welcomes visitors to view her eclectic collection of work in her home studio at 10 Forrest Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

For more examples of Robert's paintings, sketches and sculpture, visit www.moniquerobertstudios.com.