The giant moose greeting students as they walk into the Durham College and University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s Computer Commons, located in the Gordon Willey Building has become a recognizable symbol within the institutions. It has become a piece of campus culture and a point of direction for new students.
For Toronto-based artist Charles Pachter, the Computer Commons’ moose – along with the moose as an animal has been a lifelong inspiration and has been integral to Pachter’s success as an artist.
This passion began in 1947 when, at the age of 4-years-old, Pachter pet his first moose at the Canadian National Exhibit (CNE).
From there, “the rest is history,” and according to Pachter, he always knew he wanted to be an artist.
Since then, Pachter has created a career around moose and creating moose pieces. His work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Royal Ontario Museum, in public and private collections both across North America and internationally, with several pieces within post-secondary institutions, including Havard University, Algonquin College, York University and Trent University, to name a few.
According to Pachter’s website, in 1996 he purchased an abandoned property just west of the AGO in downtown Toronto, which he has since transformed into an art studio called Pachter Hall & Moose Factory.
When it comes to DC-UOIT’s piece of Pachter, one challenge that he faced was to be aware of the spindly legs that it had as he was creating it. The legs required special attention from Pachter because they were longer and thinner near the bottom.
Sculpting isn’t the only medium Pachter uses. His painted murals of Hockey Knights in Canada can be seen in Toronto’s College St. subway station and provided illustrations and partnered with literary notable and close friend, Margaret Atwood, to create the McClelland & Stewart publication, The Journals of Susanna Moodie.
Pachter also has created best-selling children’s books, including M is for Moose and Canada Counts, published by Cormorant Books, Toronto.