by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Gilbert Coutu

Age: 40

Occupation: Artist

Salary: "Pretty good money."

Bio: This totally real and unpretentious Pointe St-Charles hunk left home at age 16 to go exploring the continent. Living out of a van for awhile, homeless for a little while longer, he eventually returned to Quebec to build and live as self-sufficiently as possible in an 800-square-foot cabin way out in the middle of the woods, and lived almost entirely off the land through hunting, trapping and growing his own food. Now a highly celebrated artist, a career he just sort of stumbled into, he is the principal mask maker for le Cirque du Soleil, with much of his work inspired by tribal masks he was exposed to while living in Central America.

Does one tend to watch a lot of television living all alone in the wild? Yes, assuming one has electricity, which Gilbert arranged, first with an automobile battery and later with solar panels. "I actually had a pretty good choice of channels out there."

Why somebody might choose to live in the woods without cable TV or Internet porn? "The attraction of a simple, basic way of life, and maybe a reaction to a society that I was having trouble coping with at the time."

Is masturbation a primary activity, the highlight of one's day, for a person living in virtual isolation? Not as much as one might think. "In the country there is a lot less stimulation, temptation. You don't really think about sex as much as you might walking along St-Denis Street in the summer."

Someone else who lived with him out in the wild: His dog, Ti-Loup.

When game was scarce did he and Ti-Loup ever size each other up, looking to see who might end up eating who first? "No, it never got that desperate. I could always just go into town to get food if it came to that."

His favourite wilderness food: Porcupine. "But that's not really legal. I mostly ate deer, small birds, rabbits."

How he learned to be self-sufficient: From books.

Can solo wilderness living make a guy go a little nutty? "Well, I started to talk to myself a lot after awhile, but I think that's probably normal. But I don't think I really did all that well out in the woods. Many people who try this do much better than me. I was only experimenting. And I think I learned that I was more of an artist than a farmer."

Best part of pro mask making: "I can envision nice things, and then try creating them, and to me, well, that's a thrill."

Worst part of the gig: The paperwork.

How to get in touch with him: gilbertcoutu@yahoo.ca.

Childhood ambition: To become a Native American.

Favourite alcoholic beverage: Cheval Blanc beer.

Last book read: Cosmos, by Carl Sagan.

Fave film of all time: Natural Born Killers.

Words of wisdom: "I know this sounds cliché but, 'Keep it simple.'"

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca