Cool as ice

Artists are known as free spirits, but Wasilla's Tony Hartgrove is a little different. He is an artist, but he has ice running through is veins.

When you think of an artist, often an image of vibrant colors and paintbrushes come to mind. In Hartgrove's case, his paint brushes are chainsaws, and his canvas is transparent ice.

"Davinci said ice wasn't a real medium, and to me, that's part of the draw of ice carving," Hartgrove said. "It is a moment in time, and then it's gone. You have to capture the artwork in your mind or in your camera, because it doesn't last forever. Stone sculpture and paintings are there always, but ice carvings are only as you remember them in your mind. That's a powerful way to capture art."

And art it most definitely is. The bear Hartgrove carved earlier this week has a very lifelike look to it, right down to the direction the "fur" goes on the body of the bear.

Getting started

Hartgrove got started in ice carving about 15 years ago, when he was working as a chef at the Captain Cook hotel. His boss was carving a swan, and Hartgrove got his introduction.

"I asked him how he did it, and he handed me a chain saw and said, 'Here you go,'" Hartgrove said. "I've been doing it ever since."

Hartgrove did carvings for businesses in Anchorage for several years. He started an ice carving business, "Anything on Ice" and competed in numerous international competitions, winning six bronze medals in the process. He has carved with the legends from Japan, as well as an international champion from Fairbanks.

"There are about five of us from Wasilla and Anchorage, and there are a lot more in Fairbanks," Hartgrove said of ice artists.

Hartgrove has been doing more recreational carving in recent years, simply because of the market.

"The Valley doesn't really have a big market for ice carvings, unfortunately," Hartgrove said. "In Anchorage, there are a lot of restaurants and hotels that create demand."

Some of his pieces go for between $250 and $500, depending on what the carving is.

Ice art

Ice is a lot different than any other forms of art because of the "fourth dimension," as Hartgrove calls it. With sculpture, there are three dimensions, of course, but ice adds another dimension that many don't think about.

"You can see through the art, and that creates a lot more things to worry about," Hartgrove said. "You have to consider all of the shadows that will be cast from back to front. What you do on the back of a carving will show on the front. You don't have that with wood carving, soapstone or stone sculpting."

Hartgrove said he would like to see more people carving ice.

"Woodworkers owe it to themselves to try ice, because it is the most forgiving medium there is," Hartgrove said. "It is ideal for practicing and working on technique. Anything you can do on ice you can do with wood."

There are special hazards to deal with, however.

"You have to take into consideration the wind, sunlight and temperature," Hartgrove said. "Even if it is 30 below, your design won't last forever because ice evaporates. And sun damage can shorten the life of the carving regardless of the temperature."

From water to a masterpiece

Obviously, the most important part of ice carving is the ice itself. You have to have crystal clear ice, most of which is harvested in gravel pits from artesian wells. Hartgrove recently purchased an ice maker and a large walk-in freezer, so he can carve yearround, regardless of the weather.

After getting one of the 300-pound, 3-foot tall blocks ready, he first chainsaws away the side in which the impurities froze, to make the ice as clear as possible. Then, using a special marker, he marks a grid on the block of ice and draws the design from his book. After getting the design on the ice, the work begins.

Using two special ice chainsaws, Hartgrove roughs in the design, following the pattern as close as possible. He then switches to a grinder, to get more precise and close. Another special tool, resembling a drill, is used to get into the nooks he can't reach with the grinder. At this point, the design looks a lot like the completed project, without any detail.

Then, Hartgrove pulls out his hand tools.

"The most expensive, and most important, tools of the trade," he said with a smile. His set of tools cost $1,800, and he has his eye on a single chisel that goes for about $600. They are incredibly sharp, going through the ice like knife through hot butter.

With every flick of his wrist, new detail is added to the design, such as fur on a bear, the intricacies of an eye and the snarl of a bear's mouth.

The entire process takes about an hour, Hartgrove said.

His fastest carving took 26 minutes. If the weather is warm, you better make it fast, because the melting process takes over. Speed carving, Hartgrove said, is a whole different art.

Competition

Hartgrove has six bronze medals from international competitions, and said he enjoys participating in the events. He even would like to see Wasilla host an international event (see related story, below).

During competition, the pieces are large and elaborate.

Two of Hartgrove's pieces were a unicorn with a mermaid's body, complete with thousands of detailed scales; and a woman slipping through a giant hand. Both are extremely detailed.

There are numerous competitions in the Lower 48, but Fairbanks has the only competition in Alaska. On the ice carving circuit, people from around the world gather to display their talent.

"It used to be that the Japanese were the world's finest carvers, but now we are seeing an increase in the number of American carvers," Hartgrove said. "Even here in Alaska, there are more and more international champions."

Hartgrove said that ice carving used to be considered a lost art, but it is now coming back, and stronger than ever.

"The Japanese really turned it into an art form, but it became a lost art like blacksmithing," Hartgrove said. "Just recently, it has been coming back into the mainstream."