Art Articles & Reviews

CANADIAN SCULPTOR PARTNERS WITH RUSSIANS TO TAKE 3 AWARDS

Patricia Leguen’s sketch of a white buffalo was selected for the 32nd International Snow Sculpture Competition in Valloire, France, January 20-23, 2015.  Every year over 60 international teams of three sculptors submit designs for this prestigious event, held in a famous ski resort nestled in the beautiful French Alps. Only eight teams are selected each year. Last year, Patricia was thrilled to have been selected for the first time. She won 3rd place with a sculpture titled Contortion, a tribute to Cirque du Soleil featuring two monumental, intertwined contortionists.

This year with the help of two team-mates from Russia, Natasha Chistyakova and Andrey Molokov, she carved a monumental bison out of a block of packed artificial snow, 4 m high by 3.5 m x 3.5 m in three and a half days. She had been granted permission from a Lakota elder from Saskatoon, Darlene Speidel, to use the legend of the White Buffalo Calf-Woman that explains how the first white buffalo came to life in North American Native history. There were 18 teams invited, 10 from France and 8 international teams.

The temperature had been just below freezing the week before when the snow was compacted in plywood forms, then it rained. When the competition started, it was barely above freezing during the day and around – 8 Celsius at night. The outside of the block was icy and the inside was like slush. The team decided not to do deep undercuts as planned to prevent the sculpture from collapsing. The horns and tail were carved separately and attached on the last night using a chainsaw to carve holes and slush to pack around the edges. Patricia and Andrey had to go up in the scoop of a Bobcat used to clear snow to reach the bison’s head and attach the horns. Natasha was directing them to make sure the horns were in the right place.

At the award ceremony on January 23, Team Canada-Russia won three awards: 2^nd place, Public Choice and Young Public Choice (300 children voted for the snow bison, as did hundreds of adults).

A week later, Patricia flew to China to compete at the first International Snow Sculpture Competition in Changbai Mountain, held February 2-5. She had been selected to carve a sculpture titled Moon Fairy with two professional female sculptors, one from Norway, Elisabeth Kristensen, and the other from Italy, Michela Ciappini.

Submitted by Patricia Leguen

You can see more of Patricia’s work on her website.