A "glow up" for a local institution in Ponteix.
Mo the plesiosaur got a fresh new paint job over the summer from local artist Annika Roberge.
"Mo was recently moved to town and was painted white and primed," Roberge said. "He was looking fairly bland. I went to the town and offered to paint. Over the summer I spent many hours drawing out plans and painting."
It took her roughly 35 hours to complete the new design.
"I wanted to show that Mo is a plesiosaur that lived in the water. That's why I painted blue. His back is darker than his belly because most fish that you see nowadays have that design to protect them from predators."
As far as Roberge could find there is no way to know for sure what colour Mo would have been, but she said he probably would not have been as bright as he is now.
"He's always been kind of like an icon for Ponteix," Roberge added. "I think giving him a new look really just reimagined that icon and reminded people of the uniqueness of our town. It's not very often we can find prehistoric reptiles near town sites, and one was found in Ponteix. He's a very unique landmark."
According to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Mo is the only known specimen of this long-necked plesiosaur. He was discovered just northeast of Ponteix by local farmers Bob St. Cyr and Henri Liboiron in 1992. His species is now named terminonatator ponteixensis. He would have lived near the end of the Cretaceous Period (70 million years ago), when remnants of the Western Interior Seaway covered much of Saskatchewan.
People are liking the new Mo.
"Lots of good feedback just from town, " Roberge said. "Lots of kids have told me that they love his new look."
Mo also moved recently. The town took him from his usual spot overlooking the highway into the heart of Ponteix.
"Well, I think it's a great way to really incorporate him with Ponteix," Roberge said. "On the highway, it was nice to see him going by for tourists who are just cruising on the highway. But it is nice to have him closer to town and people and school kids have more access to the statue and getting to see him."
Roberge is not a full-time artist but does pick up the occasional private commission job.
You can contact Mo for a reference.
