Charles Markert of Excelsior, Minnesota:
Charles Markert is an artist who was accustomed to hand painting
portraits on a large scale, but he discovered a more complex canvas on which to paint when General Mills contracted him to paint a bowl of cereal on their hot air balloon.
50 hot air balloon envelopes later, he has had his masterpieces hung in the most visible locations possible - the skies of the world!
All of Markert’s balloon envelopes are completely hand painted which left him with no room for error. His talent is un-measurable as he is the only artist in the world who has done this.
His commissions would often take three to 12 months to complete and only then, upon first inflation, is when the results of his efforts were unveiled.
Markert created kinetic fantasies that move against the changing background of sky and landscape. Some of his masterpieces are preserved in museums around the world and about a dozen balloons can still be found flying in the skies today.
