Saturday, February 11, 2017

Carving Into The Ice

One of the benefits of living here is that I can get to events at Winterlude throughout the festival- though I've missed a couple of events last weekend, such as the winter triathlon or the Byward Market stew cook off. One of the things I love to do is watch the ice carvers at work, both the pairs teams and the solo carvers. They come from various places around the world, and this year, the two sets of carvings have been done in the east end of Confederation Park. I took these shots a week ago, on the first Friday of the festival. Carvers have the weekend to work from blocks down to the final work, using a wide variety of tools, some customized. They include chain saws, hand saws, chisels, hammers, sand paper, and electric sanders. I have even seen flame or hair dryers used in the past.


This last table is over among the single carvers. Imagine using this chain saw to cut through ice.

32 comments:

  1. Gosh talk about before and after! The ice sculptors work magic with their chainsaws and chisels..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazing the processes in creating these incredible ice sculptures.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The ice blocks are lovely. And the finished work is certainly stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love watching the artists work their magic. I wonder how they get interested in the art.

    Janis
    GDP

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Grace: they do!

    @Gemma: it is quite an art.

    @Orvokki: that I will be showing soon.

    @Janis: it is an unusual medium to sculpt.

    @Marianne: yes it is.

    @Jenny: definitely.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would love to see them at work. It must be cold!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have a very good imagination but have had a hard time imagining how they carve these magnificent sculptures. It would be fun to watch them. What the heck is a winter triathlon? YIkes!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Some of these carvers probably do chainsaw art on wood. Again wooden carvings are amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love to see an artist in action!

    ReplyDelete
  10. @Beth: very cold, especially today!

    @Cloudia: it is, yes.

    @Marleen: very much so, but they're dressed for it.

    @Lowell: it is fun to watch. And the winter triathlon consists of running, skating, and cross country skiing.

    @Red: I expect they probably do.

    @Linda: I do as well.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ice sculpting is such a fascinating art form! Love this post, William!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'd definitely be fascinated to see them at work. It's astonishing, what they produce.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It impresses me that they can do such delicate work while all bundled up in coats and gloves and hats.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Talk about working with a blank slate.

    ReplyDelete
  15. They are so talented. And the work conditions are horrible!

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Susie: thanks!

    @Mike: it's quite a sight to see, both in progress and final versions.

    @Sharon: they definitely need to be bundled up.

    @Mari: they start out with plans, but at first, those blocks definitely seem blank!

    @RedPat: ah, but the work conditions are also fun!

    @Whisk: definitely a lot of talent.

    ReplyDelete
  17. A very talented group of professional carvers.

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a cool hobby! Is it a hobby? Or do some make money from it?

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have seen videos of those ice carvers with chain saws. Truly an art.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Very enjoyable to see the process.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What I imagine is that those blades must dull (rust?) quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, carvers are quite creative with the tools! As much as I enjoy seeing the finished work, I'd so love seeing them at work!

    ReplyDelete
  23. No. I cannot imagine using a chainsaw to create any kind of art, much less something from a brick of ice. The ice blocks are produced commercially, I assume?

    ReplyDelete
  24. There is real skill needed to make such beautiful things of that ice.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Let's see . . . cutting big and heavy blocks of ice in the cold with a chain saw or walking around in shorts with my DSLR in nice weather . . . so hard to pick a hobby!

    ReplyDelete
  26. @Bill: true!

    @Jennifer: I imagine it's more of a hobby, though certainly the carvers coming in from all over the world suggests that they're at least being compensated for the trip and their time.

    @Catalyst: it really is.

    @Denise: I certainly think so.

    @Revrunner: they must take care of them.

    @Tamago: I do as well.

    @Kay: yes, you sometimes see the ice blocks wrapped up beforehand with labeling on them, so they're made in a facility (hence the relative clarity) and shipped here.

    @Jan: that's true.

    @Norma: definitely!

    @Jack: hah!

    ReplyDelete