"Vern - The Real Vermooster"
by
Rick Havlak
Sponsored by the Bennington Bookshop,
The Chocolate Barn & Wills Insurance Agency
Vern, the Real Vermooster, is being sponsored by three local businesses:
Will Insurance Agency, the Chocolate Barn and The Bennington Bookshop. We envisioned a moose that would be recognized by one and all as a true Vermonter! Thinking along those lines, my wife, Ellen, suggested the blue jeans and flannel shirt. David Newell and Cindy Gregory enthusiastically supported this idea and so Vern, the Real Vermooster was born. I agreed to do the painting and so set to work researching the project.
I knew I wanted to use oil paints, since they would be the least likely to fade, so my first project was finding the paints in the colors and quantities I needed. Working with artist's oils would not be acceptable due to the long drying times. The best color selection I could find was from Rust-oleum Paints.
After priming the moose with white, I sketched the general outline on him and painted huge blocks of the colors. I then experimented with various techniques and all sorts of brushes to get the textures I wanted. Through much trial and error, I was able to get the overalls to look like denim, the shirt to look like flannel and the head to look realistic!
The painting took about 87 hours. I enjoyed the chance to participate in Moosefest and hope everyone enjoys Vern as much as we all do.
Sponsors:
Bennington Bookshop 467 Main Street Bennington, Vermont
The Chocolate Barn 5055 Historic Route 7A Shaftsbury, Vermont
Wills Insurance Agency 116 South Street Bennington, Vermont
http://www.willsinsurance.com
Location: 467 Main St, Bennington
