(Nov. 27, 2014) Berlin’s newest addition to its annual Holiday Arts Night celebration is more than just a cool idea – it’s frozen solid.
Local ice artist Erik Cantine plans to construct a massive eight-foot ice sculpture in downtown Berlin immediately following the tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28.
The art of ice sculpting, according to Cantine, began as a way for chefs to keep things cold.
“It’s what they did back in the day,” he said. “They would make displays for buffets and cruise ships and so forth.”
When ice carving became popular, many chefs followed the money and opened their own businesses.
“Now it’s rare that you see a chef that can carve ice because it’s become such a big market for professional ice carvers,” Cantine said.
Cantine, a Western Pennsylvania native, made his first sculpture at 18 while in culinary school.
“I had never sculpted anything before,” he said. “Ice was the first medium that I ever touched and it’s really the one that I stuck with. It’s a tricky medium, but I had a passion to do it well.”
After culinary school, Cantine started sculpting on competitive circuits, eventually earning a spot competing in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Provo, Utah.
“They have them every four years,” he said. “You had to win one of the major events to represent the United States, and if you win that event then you qualify.”
Cantine went big in Provo, attempting a massive gravity-defying sculpture.
“We sculpted a 10-block piece and we called it ‘The Marksman,’” he said. “It was actually a man inside of a bow and arrow and he was shooting himself – he was the arrow. He had quills on his calves and he was pushing the bowstring back with his feet. It was probably three-times life size.”
Unfortunately, Cantine and several other competitors watched as Mother Nature – and poor planning by the judges – sabotaged their handiwork.
“It was sunny as can be and we were up in the mountains, so it was thousands of feet above sea level,” he said. “As long as the sun is not hitting your piece you’re in good shape because the sun shoots fractures through ice and makes it lose all its structural integrity. That day, in Provo, sun was even stronger because we were so much closer to it.”
As sculptors cut away their temporary supports and removed the protective tents they had been working under, the sun began beaming down on the ice.
“It was just pieces exploding within minutes,” Cantine said. “That was an unfortunate one for everybody. It was really poorly planned [by the judges] unfortunately. They should have had the carvers go in flights so they didn’t have to judge 30 pieces in 10 minutes.”
Cantine reached out to Berlin officials after moving to the area last year. As a bonus, Berlin is just a meager 36 feet above sea level.
“It was pretty apparent to me that if Berlin is the ‘Coolest Small Town’ that they really need to make it even cooler,” he said. “At some point I would like to see them bring an ice festival, but we’re taking it one step at a time. I volunteered my time to do this and I’m excited to do it.
“I did a lot of [ice sculpting] in Western Pa., and when I came here to the Eastern Shore I missed it,” Cantine continued. “I want to introduce it to people. I want other people to be able to be moved by it. It’s something that I have seen all over and when you see the faces of people – little kids and adults – they’re just fascinated. It’s just a fascinating medium.”
The two-to-three-hour live ice-sculpting demonstration tentatively begins at 6 p.m. opposite the Atlantic Hotel. Cantine said his piece will be both “monumentally sized” and “appropriately holiday themed.”
With any luck, Mother Nature will be kinder than she was in Utah.
“I’m looking forward to interacting with the crowd, answering some questions and just showing them some action,” he said. “If all goes well, weather permitting, the plan is to sculpt a bulkier piece that will last a couple of days so people can appreciate it more than just the live demo.”
Local ice artist Erik Cantine plans to construct a massive eight-foot ice sculpture in downtown Berlin immediately following the tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28.
The art of ice sculpting, according to Cantine, began as a way for chefs to keep things cold.
“It’s what they did back in the day,” he said. “They would make displays for buffets and cruise ships and so forth.”
When ice carving became popular, many chefs followed the money and opened their own businesses.
“Now it’s rare that you see a chef that can carve ice because it’s become such a big market for professional ice carvers,” Cantine said.
Cantine, a Western Pennsylvania native, made his first sculpture at 18 while in culinary school.
“I had never sculpted anything before,” he said. “Ice was the first medium that I ever touched and it’s really the one that I stuck with. It’s a tricky medium, but I had a passion to do it well.”
After culinary school, Cantine started sculpting on competitive circuits, eventually earning a spot competing in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Provo, Utah.
“They have them every four years,” he said. “You had to win one of the major events to represent the United States, and if you win that event then you qualify.”
Cantine went big in Provo, attempting a massive gravity-defying sculpture.
“We sculpted a 10-block piece and we called it ‘The Marksman,’” he said. “It was actually a man inside of a bow and arrow and he was shooting himself – he was the arrow. He had quills on his calves and he was pushing the bowstring back with his feet. It was probably three-times life size.”
Unfortunately, Cantine and several other competitors watched as Mother Nature – and poor planning by the judges – sabotaged their handiwork.
“It was sunny as can be and we were up in the mountains, so it was thousands of feet above sea level,” he said. “As long as the sun is not hitting your piece you’re in good shape because the sun shoots fractures through ice and makes it lose all its structural integrity. That day, in Provo, sun was even stronger because we were so much closer to it.”
As sculptors cut away their temporary supports and removed the protective tents they had been working under, the sun began beaming down on the ice.
“It was just pieces exploding within minutes,” Cantine said. “That was an unfortunate one for everybody. It was really poorly planned [by the judges] unfortunately. They should have had the carvers go in flights so they didn’t have to judge 30 pieces in 10 minutes.”
Cantine reached out to Berlin officials after moving to the area last year. As a bonus, Berlin is just a meager 36 feet above sea level.
“It was pretty apparent to me that if Berlin is the ‘Coolest Small Town’ that they really need to make it even cooler,” he said. “At some point I would like to see them bring an ice festival, but we’re taking it one step at a time. I volunteered my time to do this and I’m excited to do it.
“I did a lot of [ice sculpting] in Western Pa., and when I came here to the Eastern Shore I missed it,” Cantine continued. “I want to introduce it to people. I want other people to be able to be moved by it. It’s something that I have seen all over and when you see the faces of people – little kids and adults – they’re just fascinated. It’s just a fascinating medium.”
The two-to-three-hour live ice-sculpting demonstration tentatively begins at 6 p.m. opposite the Atlantic Hotel. Cantine said his piece will be both “monumentally sized” and “appropriately holiday themed.”
With any luck, Mother Nature will be kinder than she was in Utah.
“I’m looking forward to interacting with the crowd, answering some questions and just showing them some action,” he said. “If all goes well, weather permitting, the plan is to sculpt a bulkier piece that will last a couple of days so people can appreciate it more than just the live demo.”