Challerhocker

oil on wood, 24x24"

Challerhocker, original artwork by Mike Geno

Prounced "holler hocker", meaning "sitting in the cellar" is a Swiss made cheese washed in brine and spices and aged for a minimum of 12 months. It's a divine flavor with depth and a texture unlike any Swiss cheese. At first you think of roasted nuts, brown butter... almost caramel, yet savory. And, it's what I lived off of for a day (practically).

This was a commissioned portrait for Adam Moskowitz, one of the largest cheese importers in the USA and described in an article as a "cheese luminary". He owns and runs Larkin Cold Storage and Columbia Cheese, the sole importer of Challerhocker. This is the man I have to thank for a full wheel of this incredible cheese. He wanted something big and this was among my larger cheese portrait sizes, though it took over 12 hours straight. You can imaging over that period of time how often I found an excuse to get up and stretch my legs and have a life-sustaining taste of this "cheese gold".

While it was a challenge for me to have so many details of the full wheel and it's label with the creepy little boy illustration and the embossed letters on the side it was also a lot of fun. It felt like an epic experience, like the cheese itself tastes.

Country of Origin: Switzerland

Availability: sold

Animated Painting Progression:

Animated Painting Progression of Challerhocker, original artwork by Mike Geno