Ice splendor

The construction of ice sculptures is in fashion again, and ice cutters each season offer new ideas. The choice is yours.

The ice composition is very successfully inscribed in the garden landscape. A well-organized night light using color filters makes the sculpture more expressive and elegant. A pedestal for this New Year's troika serves a flowerbed, raised above the main level of the plot.

The height of this composition is 1.5m, length, 3m. At the same time, two cutters took only 3 days

Baras height 60cm will cost only $ 300. And will delight the eye and revive the garden all winter

Although ice cutters each season offer new ideas, grandfathers frost and snow maiden continue to enjoy great popularity.

Abstract sculptures, as a rule, like those who visit Ice Festivals, are interested in new ideas in this area.

Snowman and lamb are made according to typical sketches, but this is not spoiling at all

This ice church not only adorns the site. The hill is attached to it - favorite entertainment of the host children and quite adult guests

New Year tree does not necessarily have to be high and green. This icy Christmas tree looks no worse

The "softness" of ice makes it very thin and realistically to work out each piece of sculpture

As you know, one of the traditional and most beloved fun entertainment of the year from our ancestors was the construction of ice sculptures, towns and attractions. Today, similar decorations of the gardens and parks are in fashion

In order for the ice sculpture to sparkle in the sun, it is necessary to know special techniques of fine ice treatment with various types of cutters. The effect of a thoroughly polished surface occurs only when using a well-sharpened toolpartment, our northern neighbors, scandinavians, until they succeeded in this much more. Ininland, for example, ice sculptures, slides and carousels are built not only in private gardens and public parks, but also in the territory of kindergartens and schools, just on the street. In almost every city, the annual competition of ice sculptures is held, and in some areas it is carried out even twice a year in the winter in the open air, and in the summer in refrigeration chambers. For the season, no more than 20 competitions and festivals happen for the season. But there is something to see here. Some of these events have already become popular and collect very well-known kersters on ice from around the world. By the way, it was after visiting such festivals that many have an irresistible desire to build something icy on its own garden plot.

Technology creation of ice sculptures is quite simple. But still not so much so that every wishes could build their own sparkling castle from the first time. Therefore, it is better to invite professional cutters on ice, having the necessary tool, waste technological techniques and a large number of sketches.

The outer illumination is able to quickly change the appearance and mood of the ice sculpture. In addition, it plays the role of additional lighting of the site. After all, in winter, it is fattened after dinner, and look at the window on a dark garden it becomes not too interested in the manufacture of sculpture can be used both natural and artificial ice. The blocks of natural material are chopped with manual or chainsaws of ice cover of various, preferably not flowing reservoirs. There are constantly washed with a strong flow of ice, therefore, it does not always have time to "increase" to the desired thickness. By the way, you can use even a pond located on the site. Only the depth of the reservoir should exceed 50 cm, since the standard amount of ice blocks is 905030cm. It is uncomfortable to work with smaller pieces, and more volumetric elements are quite difficult to pull out of the water. But even if it succeeds, the surrounding ice may not withstand the ships and break.

The necessary ice thickness in natural reservoirs reaches, as a rule, by the end of December, the beginning of January. Therefore, if you want to decorate your garden with ice sculptures already by the beginning of the winter season, it is advisable to use artificial material. For its preparation, any form of stainless steel or a wooden formwork with an inserted polyethylene film is suitable. But if it is not cold outside on the street, it will freeze such ice for a very long time, a few weeks, or you will have to freeze it in professional refrigerators on a cold processing plant. Some cutters consider artificial ice less beautiful, because it has a turbid core, but this is, as they say, the matter of taste. Nor by density, nor by hardness, nor for some other qualities, properly cooked artificial material is completely different from the natural. And they work with him according to the same principles and the same tools as with natural. By the way, various saws, chisels and cutters are used for cutting on ice, similar to those who work on the tree.

A bit of history: "Ice House" - The most famous ice structure in Russia is built in St. Petersburg in 1740. According to the command of Empress Anna Johnna. Architect, Peter Yeropkin. The "house" was erected specifically for the wedding of the imperial jester of Golitsyn and Kuchainin's crackers. Posted between the Winter Palace and Admiralty. It was entirely complicated from ice bumps decorated with threads. All furniture and objects, including flowers and playing cards, were also made of ice.

At the entrance stood an ice elephant with an ice skiddler, ice dolphins monsigned fireworks, and the ice guns were shot by icy nuclei. B2003g. The "Ice Home" was published on the beach of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg on the beach of Petropavlovsk Fortress. This construction with a common weight of more than 60 tons and the cost of half a million dollars was built by Swedish masters and presented for the official gift of the Swedish province Norrbotten for the anniversary of the city.

In Sweden, his ice house is elevated every year. Cracca Yukkasyarvi, in 30km from the city of Kiruna, are building a real ice hotel with a cinema, restaurant, a bar and its own church where marriages are performed. Lovely there is a sauna, however, the ordinary pool in it is replaced by a few worn directly in the ice floor. Overburden in the ice hotel is offered on icy tops, coated with reindeer skins.

Such a spectacular composition is more fragile than monolithic figures (for example, this Snow Maiden). It is more difficult to make it, so you need to handle it carefully. However, it is not enough to abandon such a winter miracle there are two basic ways to create ice compositions. The first can be compared with the children's designer. That is, all the details of the future sculpture are cut separately, and then collected in the finished composition. This method is simple, but, according to professional cutters, the least interesting. The work becomes mechanistic, it remains too little space for creativity. True, this method allows you to save time, which is important if the rigid deadlines for ordering are revised. The second way is much closer to the work of the present sculptor. Indeed, in this case, from ice blocks, the desired volume is assembled, and then everything is "comparted by everything too much." With this method, the cutter can move away from the initial project, to create something unexpected, interesting. The same, and errors in working with ice are not as scary, as when working with wood and stone. If a piece of ice falls, the sculpture can be easily restored by attaching a new block.

Method of installation of ice parts in both cases is the same. The fastened surfaces are aligned, watered with water, are connected, and then again "adhered" with water. After some (rather short), the junction time is mortal under the action of the temperature of the ice block themselves, while the air temperature may be not lower than 0c.

In order to get a color sculpture or a composition with a multicolored inscription, the ice should not paint outside. This option is very short-lived, because there is a sufficiently slightest thaw, even just getting to the surface of the sun's rays to "become". Much more reliable to cut ice blocks in half and paint the inner surface or apply the necessary words on it, numbers, pattern. Then blocks are again connected by the already described technology, applying a small amount of water. This color ice is not terrible, neither thaw or precipitation.

A different way to bloom ice sculptures- organization of external illumination. By the way, it is possible to make backlight and inner, but this option is very expensive and is rarely used. AVOT Outdoor lighting is completely easy to organize, especially if there are already electrical outlets on the site (for example, those in which a lawn mower or a fountain on the Alpine slide turns on). If there is nothing like that, the cable can be stretched directly to the house, under the snow, technical details will not be visible anyway. The backlight can be both monophonic and tinted with replaceable filters, static or "playing". If warm lamps are used to illumination, they need to be located at a distance so that they do not damage the sculpture. Naked lamps (cold glow) sculpture in any case will not spoil.

Another thing is straight solar rays, wind and rain. From them, the ice composition should be protected, because they are able to spoil the shape, blur face and lines. Avot small thaw ice creations are not terrible, because the ice has its own cold energy and even at the plus temperature does not melt very long. If the thaw tightened, the sculpture is better to hide with a plastic film or even to build something like a greenhouse around it. Although many owners of ice masterpieces are not at all strive to preserve them, considering that the whole charm of such a work is in his short-life, fragility.

But even if it is not to pay attention to the preservation of ice compositions, they are able to simultane on the plot throughout the winter, almost until March. The time for their manufacture is spent quite a bit. To create a sculpture of the size of 22m, the experimental inclusion will be needed from two to five days, depending on the complexity of the project. If the composition of the composition reaches 300 cubic meters of ice and more, a few weeks can take a job. The process is delayed in the case when the customers or their children take part in creating sculptures. Asomart This form of leisure has become very popular. In general, various events using ice compositions gradually conquer more and more fans.

The cost of ice sculpture depends on the volume of ice used, the artistic value of the work, the fame of the master, the timing of execution, the detail of study.

The smallest, so-called "dining room" sculpture (up to 50 cm) will cost you $ 150.

Garden miniature (from 50 to 100 cm) costs $ 200-300.

Sculpture in human growth- $ 400-600.

Monumental structures (Christmas trees, figures, letters and numbers above 2m) - $ 1000-3000.

Arbors, slides, carousels, ice towns - $ 3000-6000.

The cost may increase if the sculpture is erected not by typical, but according to an individual sketch, if the model or sculpture has a system of external or internal illumination first for the provision of the customer first.