God reaches out to Ice Adam via ice cube in a closeup of “Michelangelo Hi-tech: The Creation of Ice Man,” an amazing ice sculpture from the 2004 World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks. Read on for more info and see were this piece falls in my 10 best ice sculptures list…
updated 2/14/24 with links and info I forgot to add
my 10 best ice sculptures that I've ever seen, so far
Ok, first, these are not the 10 best ice sculptures ever. Far from it. These are just the 10 best ice sculptures that I’ve ever seen myself, in person. That literally leaves millions of other possibilities, since even though I’ve seen a LOT of ice sculptures, I’ve only seen the tiniest fraction of all the amazing ice art out there! Plus, they all melt and stuff, so you only get a short window to see them.
All art, including ice art, is subjective. It makes all the difference in the world how a piece of art makes you feel. And that’s a very personal experience, something that no other person will experience in exactly the same way. I’m not shying away from that here. I have to tone that emotional aspect down a bit when I judge at an ice sculpting competition. But here, who cares? These are my 10 best ice sculptures, the 10 sculptures that had the biggest impact on me and just made me go WOW in one way or another.
I saw pics of this sculpture before I saw it in person. At the time, I was skeptical and thought that maybe the pics had been enhanced since the face looked more real and expressive then I thought could actually be the case. I was happily surprised to find that I was WRONG. See below for more and where I put this fantastic sculpture on my list of 10 best ice sculptures.
Another thing, I kinda think that calling it my 10 best ice sculptures is a bit awkward and implies that I made them. But it’s just my LIST of sculptures, not MY sculptures. MY top 10 best ice sculptures, like that I made myself, largely suck compared to what’s on this list π©
Fortunately for you, I’ve seen more amazing ice sculptures than most. Certainly, others have seen more, but I’ve been around enough high level ice sculpting events and ice sculptors that I’ve gotten to see more than my share. So this list is probably a well above average result, but still well short of the true greatness potential. However, it’d be hard to see how the top few on my list wouldn’t be on most everyone’s list, if they’d also been lucky enough to see them themselves.
so here's my list of 10 best ice sculptures
#10 Dancing with Cat
This sculpture, by Vladimir Zhikhartsev & Vitaly Lednev at the 2004 World Ice Art Championships (WIAC) in Alaska, is here because up to that point, this sculpture had the best sculpted ice face that I’ve ever seen. I’d say now that it’s been beaten by another entry higher on my list, but you’ll have to read on for that. Also though, you could argue that she’s got a Mardi Gras look going on, so that’s an additional big plus with me.
The overall sculpture composition (below) was not my favorite, but this sculpture has made an impression on me that’s clearly lasted many years. So definitely goes on the list!
#9 SpongeBob SquarePants
Not too long ago, I finally added a gallery (mostly pics; few details so far) for one of my favorite ice displays ever: SpongeBob SquarePants at Moody Gardens in Galveston.
I’d think this is the most controversial entry on my list. I don’t care though. I LOVE SpongeBob. The cartoon is an awesome mix of kid friendly fun mixed with subtle comedy aimed at adults.
So I HAD to go see the SpongeBob ice display at Moody Gardens. And it was awesome! Definitely the best of the 3 large displays that I’ve seen there and probably the best large ice display I’ve seen in the U.S. The artistry was great and the colored ice was well done. The overall display had an amusing story too. There are a number of sculptures that I could pick as favorites (like Patrick! β¬οΈ) but I’m just going with SpongeBob and his pineapple house.
You maybe COULD knock this off my list though…with a giant South Park ice display π But I might just be dreaming, waiting for that π
#8 Michelangelo Hi-tech: The Creation of Ice Man
Created by Vitaly Lednev, Karen Pless, Chuck Carpenter, & Kathleen Carlo at the 2004 WIAC, this was a stylized high tech sculptural version of “The Creation of Adam.” Aside from the bold lines and heavy use of cubes, the first thing you noticed was the ice cube suspended between God and Ice Adam. I love that part! And I think I could do that, but I’m not so sure in a competition environment where there’s so much other stuff to do!
Incidentally, this sculpture was impossible to take a picture of. In addition to the main feature, God and Adam, the piece was scattered all about in front of the feature, with blocks in interesting formations and even a tiny ice block man perched on the edge of a block. So there was no way to capture it all in a photo; video would have had to do it.
By the way, the video below features several shots of the sculpture, but they’re all stills π “Dancing with Cat” also makes an appearance.
a truly remarkable reverse relief sculpture of a wizard INSIDE a large ice block at Eiswelt Elstal, carved by Muujii Muuji and Uuganaa Enkhtaivan. I’ve never seen such an ambitious reverse relief piece, so it absolutely makes myΒ 10 best ice sculptures list!
#7 the Wizard
Yup, this photo is π©. It in no way does this sculpture justice π© I do believe, however, that this is the best example of reverse relief sculpting that I’ve ever seen.
I don’t know if reverse relief sculpting is an actual ice term. I’ve used it or similar terms before though and I’m trying to describe a method where the ice sculptor actually does the opposite of normal ice sculpting. Instead of carving away everything that’s not the sculpture, he or she carves away only the sculpture itself. It’s almost like making a sculpture mold. Because ice is transparent though, it works. And you can pack some snow in there as you see fit, for interesting effects.
In hindsight, I should have either brought my real camera or upgraded my phone before I took my recent trip to Europe. However, even I didn’t know just how many ice sculptures I’d get the chance to see on my trip, so I was just doing the best I could.
#6 Illusion
This ice sculpture was titled “Illusion” and was the winning piece at the Shenhu Ice Sculpture 6th International Ice Sculpture Masters competition in Nantong, China. I’m currently embarrassed though that I don’t have the sculptors’ names for this piece. I’ll fix that!
This was almost without a doubt the best ice sculpture that I’ve seen on my trips to China. When we judged this competition, it seemed to me kind of a foregone conclusion that this was the winning sculpture and we just had to work out the order of the remaining sculptures.
This was a super clean piece and my only real criticism was that there was a little wobble in the long lines in the base of the piece. But that’s a minor thing and this was just really an awesome ice sculpture. For me also, it was the first time that I’d seen snow used a gradient device to shade a sculpture and emphasize details. That’s a trick I’d like to use myself in the future!
“Jonah,” by Steve Brice, Jeff Stahl, Louis Manzoni, and Tom Lewando at the 2005 WIAC
#5 Jonah
This was an amazing ice sculpture, no doubt. Steve Brice did most of the work on Jonah himself and it was spectacular. And then the FISH! I spent a lot of time photographing this sculpture after we competed against it at the 2005 World Ice Art Championships (WIAC). But one thing I’ll never forget about this sculpture was how Steve and his team handled the elements.
Jeff Stahl’s ice sculpture looks a little fishy if you ask me π€¨
In what to me was a wake up call on the stark reality of climate change, temperatures at the end of the competition soared to almost 50ΛF. IN FAIRBANKS. IN FEBRUARY. Or maybe it was very early March π€ Regardless, it was HOT in Alaska!
Instead of panicking, Steve finished early, before the worst of the heat. Then his team just wrapped up their 20′ tall sculpture like they were going to pick it up and deliver it somewhere π€£ And then, a bit before judging, they unwrapped it and added some finishing touches. Their sculpture looked perfect, pristine, and amazing. And they won.
“Jonah” was all wrapped up and ready for climate change, special delivery, or whatever came its way!
#4 Harmony
This was an unforgettable ice sculpture by Mark Daukas at the 1993 National Ice Carving Championships in Youngstown, Ohio. This was also Mark’s last national championship and to my knowledge, really his last significant U.S. competition. (I can’t be certain of this; feel free to chime in if you know otherwise.)
Of course, Mark got a gold for this piece and won the championship. This was a truly remarkable single block ice sculpture that he sculpted in 2 and 1/2 hours (I think π€ I’ll double check). The angel holds a super delicate 3 stringed harp in her hands and the sculpture has beautiful lines and detailed wings. Probably one of the first really amazing ice sculptures I ever saw and it’s had a lasting impression.
“Solider” was an unforgettable ice sculpture by Junichi Nakamura and another sculptor (I’ll have to go back and find out who his teammate was, sorry!) at Ice Magic in Alberta, Canada.
#3 Soldier
I think Junichi has renamed this sculpture in the years after he first sculpted it. But at the time that I saw it, he called it “Soldier.” It was an avenging angel with a scimitar, kind of a winged soldier in an angry God’s army.
I’ll get into this story, or maybe I already have, elsewhere. But the gist of it is that I was sure that this sculpture was going to fall down. He had it built on kind of an “A” frame and then he was going to cut away the most supporting support!
It was so cold in Canada that year that we were having trouble getting pieces to freeze together on our own sculpture π₯Ά (The water froze too fast!) That was the first time I’d experienced that and only one of several reasons that I thought Junichi’s sculpture was toast. But this was also the first time that I’d seen Junichi at work and I began to realize then that you underestimate him at your peril.
Dmitry Klimenko sculpted “Izanami and Izanagi” for the display in Zwolle this year. Izanami and Izanagi are Japanese deities and these figures were spectacular! These sculptures were set apart, but the titling indicated they were considered to be one piece.
#2 Izanagi and Izanami
There are only a few ice sculptures that I’ve ever seen where I don’t know how the sculptor did something. This is one of them. But in this case, it’s not how they sculpted something, but how they kept their ice intact.
By all rights, I’d think that by the time I saw this magnificent pair of ice sculptures in person, they should have degraded more from sublimation. There were a lot of people crowding into see the Zwolle display and I’m not really clear on why these sculptures fared so well over time.
A lot of the detail in the faces, particularly in Izanagi, depends on the contrast of textures. Izanagi’s eyes, eyebrows, and sideburns are glassed ice while the rest of his face has subtle texture. The contrast is really remarkable and I’ve never seen it done so effectively before. I kept going back to Klimenko’s sculptures, waiting for people to pass so I could get decent pics, and kicking myself for not bringing a better camera :/
Maybe these sculptures were actively maintained? Maybe there wasn’t much air movement where they were? I don’t know. And also, if the overall piece was maintained, I don’t know how you maintain such delicate detail and textures without the original sculptor handling it. I saw SOME degradation maybe in Izanami’s fingers. But what about her face and the little branch and flowers? Anyway, if you had me go and try to maintain it, I’d likely eff it up. I loved these pieces!
“Let it Be,” at the 2011 World Ice Art Championships. Photo by Karen Clautice.
#1 Bird Cage (actually titled "Let it Be")
It’s going to be hard for me to take this sculpture off the top of my list. Could happen, but I’m not sure how. “Izanagi and Izanami” I suppose could have…but maybe only if they were somehow so structurally delicate that they looked like they were in danger of collapsing?
This wasn’t one of Junichi‘s most dangerous pieces. All of his most dangerous ones fell down at some point, either before or after judging. But it was right on the edge, for sure! Look at the tiny legs for the cage. And then realize that if the sculpture wasn’t perfectly balanced, no way that the delicate stand that it sits upon would hold up! This sculpture just blew me away and I’ll never forget it! So glad I got to see it in person!
And by the way, this is another one where I have to go back and find out all the team’s members. I do know that Junichi and Shinichi Sawamura were on the team, since I saw them. But I don’t have the other 2 team members yet. Speak up in the comments if you know! Thanks!
some honorable mentions, etc.
Like I’ve already mentioned, I can’t see ALL the ice sculptures, even though sometimes I might like to. Here are a couple that I’ve only seen pictures of, but that I think would have made my 10 best ice sculptures list if I’d only been there to see them myself.
Thor, God of Thunder and Lightning
This sculpture was by Mark Daukas and Scott Rella in Hamar, Norway at the Olympic ice sculpting competition in conjunction with the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
For a long time, I had a sketchbook with a black and white pic of this sculpture taped to the cover. It would kind of remind me how far I had to go still. When I went to one of Mark Daukas’ seminars, he spent a bit of time talking about this piece. It didn’t win, but it was clear from all the pics I’ve seen that it was a really remarkable ice sculpture. I’d have gone to Norway just to see it, I’d think. And I’m sure Thor would be near the top of my 10 best ice sculptures if I had.
this is an AI rendering that kind of resembles my recollection of the New Queen ice sculpture created by Hongpong and Roscoe, years ago at a competition in Chicago. From what I remember seeing, I’m all but certain this sculpture would have made my 10 best ice sculptures list had I seen it live. And then maybe I’d have a pic too!
The New Queen
(I think that was the title?) This crazy piece of ice art was by Kevin Roscoe and Vivat Hongpong. I don’t even have a pic of this sculpture and I only saw it on a tv show. Maybe it was CBS Sunday Morning in the 90’s? It was a tall sculpture of a Cleopatra-esque Egyptian queen, I think with her arms outstretched and parts of her costume hanging from her arms (which were actually clever supports).
My understanding was that this amazing sculpture was at the Ice Carving Classic in Chicago that they used to run as part of the National Restaurant Association show. We won the Ice Carving Classic years later, but I can’t imagine that we would have won that year π³ I would ask Kevin if he had a pic, but he’s probably not my biggest fan right now. Maybe later…
etcetera
Also maybe later, this honorable mentions section will be where the sculptures that get kicked off the list end up. Hopefully I can come up with some good reasons for that. Or, I could just change the title and make it my best 15 instead of my 10 best ice sculptures π€·ββοΈ
So what I’m saying is that this is a fluid list. I mean, if I’d already had the list, you can see that 2 of these sculptures would have just shown up this year. Plus, I suspect there will be a sculpture or two where I later say, “holy π©, how did I not put that one on the list?!?”
Also, if you’re a sculptor or ice aficionado, you’ll have opinions. “How could he have kept that one on there when he saw that one too?!?” or “How come none of so-and-so’s ice made the list?” Meh, I don’t care about that. My list is subjective, could never be otherwise. And I’ve given you reasons for my choices. However, if YOU have a list of your 10 best ice sculptures (or even 3 or so, since 10 requires a lot of thinking and difficult choices), put it in the comments below!
links and stuff
You could also find photos and info related to the my list of 10 best ice sculptures on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account or the facebook page. ice sculpting secrets is also on TikTok, although videos there aren’t really tied to posts as much. You can comment on IG and fb as well as below. And if it won’t LET you comment below, then definitely comment on fb and/or IG. Thanks!
