It’s Fat Tuesday Every Day — Artist’s Maquette

Made to Order | Price Upon Request

Before undertaking the monumental It’s Fat Tuesday Every Day sculpture for Jefferson Parish, Christy Boutte created this smaller, fully realized version as a working maquette. Standing approximately 6 feet tall by 5 feet wide, the sculpture allowed Christy to work through the scale, imagery, materials, composition, and construction of the larger public artwork before fabrication began.

The maquette mirrors the design of the finished sculpture: Christy’s interpretation of a Louisiana Mardi Gras Tree, filled with the color, characters, traditions, and visual storytelling of Carnival.

Throughout the tree are recognizable elements from Christy’s artistic world, including Petunia the Pelican, Clotile D. Crawfish, Gorgeous Gator, Royal Crab, and a peacock representing the Argus parade on Mardi Gras Day. Louisiana favorites—including a mother-of-pearl oyster, snowball, saxophone, beignets, Mardi Gras mask, fleur-de-lis, beads, and other celebratory details—turn the tree into a playful portrait of local culture.

The maquette became the blueprint for Christy’s much larger public sculpture, unveiled along Severn Avenue at Veterans Memorial Boulevard at the entrance to Fat City as part of Jefferson Parish’s Henry Shane Sculpture Trail.

The completed monumental sculpture reaches approximately 11 feet high by 11 feet wide and weighs roughly 5,500 pounds. Constructed from aluminum and steel, it was finger-painted by Christy using heavy acrylic paint, embellished with glass jewels, and finished with an automotive clear coating for outdoor display.

Donated by Henry and Pat Shane and installed by the Jefferson Parish Parkways Department, the sculpture was officially christened It’s Fat Tuesday Every Day—a fitting celebration for Fat City, where Mardi Gras culture, community, and Louisiana joie de vivre live far beyond Carnival Day.

This original 6-foot maquette represents where the monumental sculpture began: an artist testing an idea at human scale before transforming it into permanent public art.

Made to Order

Each It’s Fat Tuesday Every Day sculpture is individually made to order and hand-finished by Christy Boutte.

Approximate size: 6 ft. tall × 5 ft. wide

Production: Made to order

Lead time: Please allow adequate time for fabrication and the artist’s hand-painted finishing process. An estimated completion timeline will be provided when your order is placed.

Because each sculpture is individually fabricated, painted, embellished, and finished, production times may vary.