Ice Sculptor

What are you listing to in your headphones?

Asked by Kaylee almost 4 years ago

Hi Kaylee, thanks for the question :) Honestly, I couldn't tell you for sure, but I can narrow it down. When I'm sculpting, I might be tired and a little cold, so I'd be listening to some sort of music that will energize me. That could be lot of things too; I like rock, hard rock, alternative, country...not too much hip hop or rap, but even some of that sometimes. The main thing I'm looking for is to get my blood pumping and keep me going. I always know that I'm too tired to sculpt when I can't stay warm.

If I'm not particularly tired, but I'm also not working on something terribly difficult, I might be listening to an audiobook or a podcast. Because sculpting some things is largely automatic, like driving a car, I can pay enough attention to both. But it could be a novel, Stephen King is a favorite, or it might be something non-fiction. Weirdly, and I suppose left over from my education in biology, I'm interested in stuff about pandemics and infectious disease. Well before the Covid-19 outbreak, I'd listen to books about the 1918 flu, Ebola, and other diseases. But I also listen to self-help books, like how to get better sleep and mundane stuff like that. I haven't yet run into anything on how to survive getting locked in a freezer, but if I do, that'll be my next listen ;) Thanks for your question!

What percentage of your work is for private parties vs. corporate events?

Asked by Jackson about 9 years ago

Hi Jackson, thanks for your question! Ok, the simple answer is 50/50. Weddings, for example, are a big part of most ice sculptors' events and corporate events are nice because they don't always happen on a Saturday, like private events tend to. Plus, they often have bigger budgets and are looking for a big wow factor. The 50/50 ratio fluctuates a lot however, even for specific sculptors. That's partly because trends come and go. Like ice luges, for example. When I first started sculpting, we didn't do those. But then, they became a big deal. Corporate events probably started using them first, but then later, weddings started incorporating them. Finally, I can only speak for myself. Other sculptors might be skewed one way or the other, especially if they have a special relationship with certain venues that focus on one type of event or another.

I hope that answers your question and my apologies for not answering like, 5 years ago. Literally :(

What do you do to protect yourself from extreme cold temperatures?

Asked by Jim almost 4 years ago

Thanks for your question Jim! To start with, I'd say that I don't spend much time in extreme cold. Although, if you ask people here in New Orleans, they'd probably disagree with that! They start breaking out the parkas whenever the temperature drops to the low 50s, lol. (With the high humidity here though, it does feel colder when it's cold.) I usually work at only about 19?F. It it gets below 15, I start having trouble with my ice cracking unexpectedly and then I have to open the door or adjust the thermostat to warm things up.

So far, the coldest temperature I've faced was -29°F. That was when I arrived at the Fairbanks airport during my last trip to Alaska. I showed up in my New Orleans clothing (shorts and a polo), walked outside to see how bad -29 feels, and then quickly threw on my new jacket that was waiting for me! That was cold, but from what I hear, it usually gets to around -45 at some point in Fairbanks each year. When it gets that cold, it seems to be a thing to put on swimsuit and go get a photo in front of the sign that shows the temperature. Not for me!

During that trip, we spent almost a week sculpting in -20° or so temperatures. It was pretty rough, and it's understandable that they usually suspend the competition when it gets to -30. That's genuinely dangerous, and the risk of frostbite is very real.

I get frostbite a lot, but the burns that I'm talking about are just from working with dry ice (-109?F) and those burns are no big deal, usually. When you're worried about frostbite in a cold environment, you're definitely thinking first about your extremities: hands, feet, and head (face and ears, mostly). Since you're using your hands a lot while sculpting, your fingers usually stay pretty warm, as long as you're wearing good gloves with liners. There's one big caveat, however. Many of the power tools we use blow air on your hands, so that actually makes it worse. Your toes and feet have it pretty rough. They're not moving around as much and they're always on the snow. That's why many of the extreme cold boots you see have very thick soles with lots of insulation. Many sculptors use special boots called bunny boots or Mickey Mouse boots. They're military issue boots that have different layers and are very good in extreme cold. However, they make you look like you have cartoon character feet :) Apparently, the white ones are for colder temperatures and the black ones are resistant to oil and diesel fuel. From what I understand, you can't really buy new bunny boots anymore, so you're always looking for them at the surplus stores, or maybe ebay. For your head, you have to have a good hat and a face mask. Scarves are usually a no-no, because they're legit dangerous with power tools. You don't want to pull an angle grinder towards your face if your scarf gets caught up in it. Same for very long hair. But your ears and nose are the most vulnerable to the cold, so your hat and mask have to keep them toasty. After a while, you start identifying the other sculptors by their hats, etc. Some of them get pretty crazy! One famous sculptor has very distinctive ear muffs.

Here are a couple of general rules I've run into: layers and cotton kills. These are two things that you hear over and over again when it comes to cold. Layers, in particular, is very true. You don't rely so much on one very thick layer of clothing. Instead, it's better to go with a lot of thinner layers. And you add layers or remove layers depending on how cold you're feeling. If you get too hot, that doesn't help, because you sweat. And then your sweat will freeze, which is bad. That's also related to "cotton kills." Sometimes you'll hear that because cotton isn't very well-suited to cold environments. It tends to absorb moisture, which wipes out most of its insulating qualities. I wear cotton layers when I'm in my home studio freezer, but like I said before, it's only 19°F in there, which isn't that cold. When I'm in Alaska (or Northern China, or Sweden maybe), I wear layers of synthetics, because they're designed to wick moisture away from your body, keeping you warmer. Natural isn't always better. (Although wool still works pretty well. But itchy!)

Finally, I'll throw in one more observation. When I start getting cold, I usually take it as a sign that I'm too tired. I need a break. My body is having trouble maintaining my core temperature, even though I might have on plenty of layers. So, I generally listen to my body and stop for a while, if it all possible. Rest seems to work better than even sitting in front of a fireplace. Recharging reenergizes my body for the next go round and the greater focus and productivity is usually more than worth the lost time.

Thanks again Jim, hope this answers your question!

Excuse me if somebody wanted you to sculpt a giant penis what you do it?

Asked by Peyton over 3 years ago

Another thank you ever add coloring to the ice

Asked by Peyton over 3 years ago