Van Gogh hot air balloon hovers over Oakland

Vincent Van Gogh has been called a larger-than-life character, and on Friday morning in Schenley Park, he was — kind of.

A 92-foot-tall Vincent Van Gogh hot air balloon made a stop on Flagstaff Hill in Oakland. It was one of the balloon’s first stops as it travels around the country. It’s headed for Chicago, Minneapolis and Los Angeles, among other stops, in support of the Immersive Van Gogh exhibits across North America. It was in Toronto prior to this.

The 568-pound balloon was built over a six-month period in Bristol, England. Each panel of the nylon balloon was hand-painted in the Dutch Post-Impressionist style of Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait, complete with a hat.

“Inside the balloon, it’s not just round. It’s got chambers that take air in order to allow the hat to inflate and different features of the balloon to inflate,” said Bennett Schwontkowski, pilot of the Van Gogh balloon. “Just like ductwork in your home, the air goes to different chambers in order to give it its shape. That’s what makes it a special shaped balloon, which also requires special considerations for flying.”

It was instantly recognizable to passers-by.

Kristina Serafini | Tribuner-Review

An airplane flies past Lighthouse Immersive’s 92-foot-tall Vincent Van Gogh hot air balloon on Flagstaff Hill in Oakland on Friday.

The balloon was aloft but tethered in place and won’t be doing any flying around Pittsburgh, due to city regulations, Schwontkowski said. Despite that, the Van Gogh fans who came out to see the balloon were thrilled just to see it aloft.

“It’s a really cool experience, especially when growing up you learn about him and then get to see his work and now his head, it’s pretty cool,” said Alayna Chizmar, 20, of Mars.

Her friend Yuriy Hryckowian, 20, of Slippery Rock, was also impressed.

“We just went to the (immersive Van Gogh) exhibit and to be able to see it and now see this, I think it’s a really cool experience.”

Kristina Serafini | Tribuner-Review

Lighthouse Immersive’s 92-foot-tall Vincent Van Gogh hot air balloon is seen on Flagstaff Hill in Oakland as vehicles move along Schenley Drive on Friday.

The Immersive Van Gogh Pittsburgh exhibit is located in a converted warehouse at 720 Lacock St. on the North Side.

As for the ballon, it’s not floating from city to city. By 9:30 Friday morning, it lay deflated on the Schenley Park grass where it was folded and packed away to be driven to its next location.