NORFOLK, Va. — When the Virginia Zoo’s mermaid needed a facelift, local artist Bob Langston’s imagination went… well….wild.
“I came up with some sketches of having the animals coming up out of the jungle,” said Langston.
He was one of more than 30 artists vying for the job to give the lovely lady a makeover.
“All a sudden I get this phone call from the zoo and they said 'hey you won,' and I’m like 'wow, cool!”' Langston said.
“Bob’s work was really bold, we looked through a lot of the samples he sent and sketches that he sent and we needed something that is really kid friendly that grandparents will really love and families,” said Virginia Zoo Executive Director Greg Bockheim.
After 200 hours of prep, painting and finish work, the Norfolk beauty is ready to greet the 400,000 visitors who come through the zoo every year.
The 36-year veteran artist managed to get 28 animals on the sculpture.
“The most complicated ones were the tiger the cheetah the zebra with all the stripes,” said Langston.
And while he’s painted another Norfolk mermaid and a few Virginia Beach dolphins, this particular piece is special.
“I grew up in Norfolk and I used to come here as a kid on field trips and it has a real special place in my heart,” said Langston.
And that pride in his community and his art comes through which is why artist Bob Langston is positively Hampton Roads.
