Josh Circus
I really like to drink coffee beverages, wear sunglasses, eat sandwitches, stay up late, wake up early, and pray that the Red Sox win the World Series. Some of the things I collect are waterfalls, interesting looking bricks, and pieces of trash that can be transformed into art. I make pottery for a living and try to make time everyday to cook food, practice yoga, and work in my journals. I have a motorcycle that doesn’t run and sometimes I write dumb poetry about it. I also have a car that I don’t like driving much, except if it is through a huge puddle. ~ Josh’s “About Me” online bio.
My son Josh is a serious artist, but he has an unserious side to his nature. Or maybe I should say “he’s seriously unserious when it comes to play.” Since he was a little boy, he hasn’t met a costume he doesn’t like, to the point where I have referred to him as “a closet super hero.” He hasn’t let being an adult dampen his dramatic fun-making.
His latest nickname, Josh Circus, coined by a friend’s little boy who couldn’t pronounce Josh’s real name (Josh Copus), actually fits him to a tee. He likes to host events (which back in my day would have been called “happenings”). One such event revolved around elaborate robot costumes, another, the Drury Fest, marked a friend’s departure into the Peace Corp and involved over 90 people tubing on a river and a costume on Josh’s part. In this case, the costume was a gorilla suit, which worked well for posing for photo-ops while carrying a girl in a bikini.
Although Josh is a potter by trade, he also hasn’t met an art medium he doesn’t like. 
While he appreciates the masters, he’s just as inspired by Maxfield Parrish or Dr. Seuss. He likes Graffiti and has 4 desks in his warehouse apartment to facilitate his three ring circus of art. Besides clay, his primary art outlet is making collage journals, some pages of which were exhibited in an art show this past summer.
Apparently, my son’s name has been verbified. Some of his friends have taken to using the term “josh copus” interchangeably with the word “collage.” One, who recently saved a scrap of something and then pasted it down in her journal, announced to another friend, “I josh copused it.”
I wonder, if “josh copusing” something means to collage it, or to collect scraps of garbage that other people wouldn’t even notice, what might “josh circus” mean? And what would your name mean if it became a verb?
Post note: My son has his own category side bar here at Loose Leaf. You can read more about his artistic adventures HERE.
December 6th, 2006 12:01 am
I hope my son, like Josh, never looses his love of costumes.
December 6th, 2006 7:25 am
LOL – my son runs around in a Superman cape all the time…looks like I may just have a few more years to enjoy watching him!
December 6th, 2006 7:28 am
Josh sounds like a really great guy. I was looking at his work and thought of Joseph Cornell right away (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cornell)
BTW, Maxwell Parrish made coffee, Maxfield Parrish was an illustrator and a fine artist.
🙂
December 6th, 2006 7:29 am
A gorilla suit? Hmmmm…what an interesting way to meet girls. Well obviously he is not only artistic, but clever.
I’ll keep that gorilla costume in mind for my next trip around. Although, now that I think of it….a sixty-five year old man in a gorilla costume carrying around a sixty-five year old woman in a bikini might be an attention getter…you think? LOL
December 6th, 2006 7:38 am
beautiful! i love these stories about your son. so inspirational.
i remember reading some of them before and loving them. so does this also mean he has his own webpage now? as you mentioned an online bio.
i’m known for my ‘kedaisms’ sometimes. that means making up new words, or twisting them around.. a little like rhyming slang actually. and back when i was at art school i did the same thing with junk as josh and ‘i did a keda’ meant someone had collected scraps of garbage!
he really is an amazing young man. it’s lovely to witness how deservedly proud you are of him 🙂 brilliant stuff.
December 6th, 2006 7:40 am
I love that his name has become a verb, descriptive of a process. That is so interesting. I don’t know what my name would be if it were verbalized (is that a word?). I’ll have to think about that.
December 6th, 2006 9:18 am
No webpage yet, Keda. It’s a Myspace thing that Josh uses to stay in touch with freinds around the country. After graduation this month, he’ll have more time and hopefully will get a webpage up. I love what you do with words, by the way.
Thanks for the link to Joseph Cornell, Todd — I read the whole page and enjoyed learning about him — and for the Maxwell Maxfield correction. I had the right Max in the link at least.
Delane, reading about your boys always reminds me of mine when they were little.
Alan, if you get that suit post a photo! Here’s a couple of links on how Josh’s gorilla suit showed up on my blog.
http://looseleafnotes.com/notes/2005/12/thirteen_thursday.html
http://looseleafnotes.com/notes/2006/07/the_family_laundry.html
December 6th, 2006 9:29 am
I also am a fan of Maxfield Parrish. I just love the oranges…one of my favorite colors. His art is always sunsets or sunrises. Your son sounds like a neat young man.
December 6th, 2006 9:30 am
LOL….Thanks for the links Colleen. Nice suit!
As far as the photos go….I feel reasonably certain that if I am seen around town in a gorilla suit carrying a sixty-five year old woman wearing a bikini, it will only be a matter of time before someone posts photos – even if it is the national news media. 🙂
What’s that song?….”They’re coming to take me away, away…They’re coming to take me away!”
December 6th, 2006 9:43 am
I always loved the fact that my son loved his costumes as a little guy. He showed his appreciation for superheroes at a very young age and each year, Halloween in particular, would bring requests for the current one on his mind. To this day he still loves hats of all kinds. Especially folk-style of other countries. My husband brought home an unusual one from Kazakhastan and the traditional Muslim style from Africa and the middle east.
I love to walk into the room and see him sitting at the computer wearing a funky hat.
I love that boy.
December 6th, 2006 10:05 am
Josh sounds quite creative and most definitely has a zest for life with those fun costumes. I have a feeling he’s one of those guys that truly enjoys his moments.
December 6th, 2006 10:46 am
It is so nice to hear about someone who has not lost the ability to see the wonder in the world. He is an inspiration. I love his collages.
December 6th, 2006 12:50 pm
I bet he has made some very nice pieces for you! I love pottery! I have many wine goblets that are special.
December 6th, 2006 2:08 pm
that’s a great post! it sounds like my group of friends and the things we did growing up! for my friend clint’s bachelor party, the guys went to charleston, bought brightly colored, butterfly collared 3 piece suits from the goodwill store, rented bicycles, and rode around the streets of charleston.
December 6th, 2006 3:59 pm
Would that all kids could get out from behind the Play Stations and video games and really USE their imaginations. What fun they could have!
December 6th, 2006 5:23 pm
I love, love, love making collages. In fact, just did one this past week at the workshop I told you about. Eldest daughter is an art major, so I just bought 3 collage 2007 calendars from her…March has her design.
They are also doing a “collage book”. Never heard of that before. Anyway, cool about your son being into collage!! I find it an extremely therapeutic art form.
Susan
December 7th, 2006 5:56 am
Your son is so very talented and I love that he–as you said—never has met an Art Medium he doesn’t like—Well put! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, dear Colleen…! (lol)
December 7th, 2006 6:02 am
What a wonderful child you have 🙂
December 7th, 2006 7:07 am
You have a very talented son, you must be very proud! He gets his creativeness from you?
December 7th, 2006 9:28 am
Josh sounds like a very cool guy. I would love to host “happenings”!
I am so crazy…I didn’t realize my screen was minimized for your site and I saw this little dog and thought….”Hey when did Colleen get a little dachsund dog?”….It is on MY PAGE….I felt like an idiot.
December 7th, 2006 4:08 pm
Very Cool stuff – The work your son does is quite nice. I do enjoy seeing other people’s collage work — always gives me such inspiration. You have a very remarkable child ~~ Hats off to you
lauri
December 8th, 2006 3:55 pm
i just checked out josh’s myspace site and left him a message- i just joined last month on the urging of friends- it’s fun! his “about me’s” are hilarious!
December 12th, 2006 5:14 pm
“Copus” – isn’t that also Latin for “a work”?
December 12th, 2006 5:40 pm
Hi Catinka, As far as I know the derivative of Copus by way of Latin means “plenty and abundance” as in copious. http://www.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookit.pl?latin=copus
December 14th, 2006 2:56 am
And boy was I ever wrong! The word I had in mind that I was so sure meant ‘a work’ was “opus” – it finally popped into my mind hours after having done copius googling for latin translations and coming up as you said. Sorry…
December 14th, 2006 8:37 am
But I’m glad to know the OPUS connection to Josh’s name, Catinka. I hadn’t thought of that and it explains a lot to me. The way I look at words is from all angles and I think hidden in our names are often our assignments … or readings of us. See more here. http://looseleafnotes.com/notes/2005/06/word_play.html
December 14th, 2006 6:10 pm
I enjoyed your aformentioned post on word play. There was a time when the written word held magic powers for all those who couldn’t read. I wonder if the way we consider technology to be so magical today is of the same order?