Ice ART - Ice Sculptures

I haven't posted for a while as I have been too busy. In this post I will show you on what I have been working on. I think we don't have anything like this on steemit yet. I'm opening a new theme called iceart. I'll do at least two posts about this project.

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about a month ago...

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Winter is coming. Words that I hear too often. Starks blast through my mind, can't wait for the next season of GOT. However its different winter for me.

Sure you can freeze water in your home freezer. But have you looked at it? Its cloudy, not clear at all. Nature comes to the rescue. Have you ever seen natural formed river ice? It's crystal clear. One of the simplest way to make clear ice is to get the water flowing. With constant flow we get rid of all impurities and air bubbles. Simple water pump and a freezer is all we need for our ice block machine.

Yes, I know. Its only water. But try moving 1m × 0.5m × 0.3m of water in solid state. And 30 tons of it. That heats you up before you even start working. To our disappointment it doesn't go according to our plans and we have to use handcarts to put all of n blocks in the place of exhibition. And then we need to put them in the rough shape of a sculpture. I won't be cold again.

The easiest way to get started and do the basic shape is with a chainsaw. Don't get me wrong. Some artists prefer chisels and do the complete sculpture just with them. The whole set of tools used to carve ice might surprise you. Many artists even make their own. Considering what you want to do and how fast various tools are used. In some cases even iron comes in handy.

The place needs to be air conditioned at all times and below freezing point. We set it up to -5°C to serve as a buffer because we are constantly opening and closing the doors allowing warm air to mess with our creations. It's a big place and a small door but still, better be safe.

Guess what plant this is.

So what am I doing? The thing that children will love. Slide. Each and every year they take this ride completely ignoring the cold environment they are in. The fun that it brings could warm them for hours. However it ends when their freezing parents decide its time to go home.

And of course I haven't forgotten on Steemit logo. Three swings with a chainsaw and filling with snow won't take much time.

Winter is here and with it new ice sculptures are getting the final shape.

Don't miss out on a final version of sculptures which I'll post in next few days. I can also post a video but I'll have to figure out IPFS first. Until next time here's a sneak peek of a slide.

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All images were taken by me with canon 500d.