EDMONTON – Intricately carved and cleverly lit ice sculptures remain on display in Old Strathcona as the Ice on Whyte festival is in full swing. During the sometimes dreary days of January, it’s an oasis of winter art in our city.
Ice sculpting artists from around the world have flocked to Edmonton to compete for the festival’s top prize. But Ice on Whyte isn’t the only cool competition around town that aims to create beautiful outdoor spaces.
The popular Front Yards in Bloom competition has come up with a winter version, daring locals to use materials like shrubs, ice, snow, and lights to come up with their own ‘winterscapes.’
It’s another novel idea aimed at making our city a better place to live and play in the winter season, and according to Bornn, there are plenty of ways to use Mother Nature to your advantage.
“That’s something pretty simple that people can do in their yard and maybe shine a little bit of Christmas light on it and it just feels good and warm in the middle of winter,” Bornn said.
Take a drive around the city, and the nominated properties tend to stand out.
Laurie Keindel and her family were asked to submit their own winterscape even though they live in Devon.
Planting shrubs and trees that have year-round appeal is a good place to start said Keindel.
“I like tall grass so that there’s movement in the winter, when the wind blows it’s nice to see a little action,” Keindel explained. “And it’s nice to see life out there, and I like to have shrubs that when the leaves fall off, they still look pretty.”
Next, she suggested packing fresh snow into a cardboard casing to create a perfect medium for do-it-yourself sculptures.
Keindel also recommends making ice lumineers that have a champagne effect but on a beer budget.
“You take a balloon, fill it with water, plop it in fresh snow, and in about four days you can take the wrapper off to create a perfect frozen sphere,” Keindel recommended. “Put it on top of those little fake candles and the whole globe lights up – it’s beautiful.”
And though Keindel’s yard could be described as quirky, the same technique can have an elegant and romantic effect.
Contestants have until Feb.21, 2016 to nominate their winterscaped yards for consideration.
Keindel said she can’t wait to see the creative and unique works of winter art that will compete.
She also said she can’t get enough of how well winterscaping her yard has connected her family with new, curious neighbourhood friends through the dark days of winter.
“It’s just so exciting that we have this front yard Lego, front yard Play-Doh, it’s just fun!”
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