A welder who lives just west of Red Deer has created a “Minion” that stands more than 10 feet tall.
Earl Gallant used an old propane tank as the body to create the animated character, originally from the Despicable Me film franchise, and has it standing on his front lawn on Range Road 281, near Highway 11, in Red Deer County.
Spotting a Minion sculpture of this size on the side of the road is “the sign of an Alberta welder out of work,” Gallant said Sunday afternoon.
“It’s just the nature of the beast – the oil patch has been slow. So, you either sit on the couch or you go out and build a Minion.”
Between welding and painting, the giant Minion project took more than a week to complete.
“I had that big tank and didn’t know what to do with it. Someone suggested Minions and away we went,” said Gallant, who has been a welder for about 40 years.
The Minion stands about ten feet away from a large spinning globe, which took an estimated 50 hours to build. On the other side of his driveway there are smaller Minions, ducks and welded trees, which all took about five hours to complete. Smaller propane tanks were used for these smaller Minions and ducks.
Welding smaller propane tanks can be dangerous if not careful, said Gallant.
“If you cut into these the wrong way they’ll blow up. You’ve got to take the valve out and let it air out. A windy day is perfect for that,” he said.
Gallant said he has sold about a dozen ducks and a dozen minions so far.
Anyone interested in purchasing lawn art, including the giant Minion, can call Gallant at 403-357-6763.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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