大象传媒

Most ice artists create their sculptures out of a single block of ice and are limited in the time they can display their finished piece of art.

But Colchester inventor Colin Frizzel believes he has created a whole new way of sculpting using frozen water - and one which will leave you with a product that can last for thousands of years!

Colin calls himself a craftsman, not an artist

Rather than chipping away at a single block of ice, Colin builds his sculptures from a kit of ice parts, from which he makes a solid mould, which he can pour concrete or resin into to create a long lasting replica.

"Nobody does this method that I am using, as far as I know. I've contacted the ice hotels, the ice carver's website and nobody was interested in the fact that I'm using ice in a different way," he explains.

Colin has spent about four years on what he calls his 'excessive hobby' and now has a small, self-built听 production line which allows him to make ornamental garden objects using his technique.

"They are long-lasting things, they are heavy duty and they can go in the garden or a stream, a pond, a river - you can do what you want."

Colin makes the ice sculpture with 'kit' shapes

The process from lump of ice through to Gaudi-esque creation is broken down into four main steps.

First, Colin makes the basic ice 'kit-parts' using an anti-freeze dip and paper moulds, to make shapes such as hollow spheres, curved batons or just flat surfaces.

Step Two sees him cut the ice pieces into a particular shape then carve on the designs. He does this using a special 'steam carver', which Colin says is not a new invention, but is rarely used by ice artists.

"There's a very thin blade that's hollow and steam blows down that blade and you can cut any shape you want. It's like a butter knife," he says.

With the ice design built, it's time for step three, where the ice is dipped into a special solution which hardens around the sculpture.

Colin is very open about his technique and is keen for artists to take it further, but the one thing he is keen to keep to himself is the formula of the solution.

"It's organic, it's not toxic, it's not poison and I re-use it," is all he gives away.

With the solid mould created, the ice is left to melt out and Colin is left with a solid, hollow mould ready for concrete or a clear resin to be poured into.

Once set, the ice melts out of the mould

After leaving about four days for the concrete to set, he dissolves the mould away and is left with the finished product.

Aside from the creative aspect of his work, Colin is also pleased of the fact his technique is an ecologically friendly one.

"We recycle the water, we can even recycle the heat from the freezers, so we're quite ecologically sound. And there's very little cost, I've hardly got a garbage - I don't throw anything away," he explains.

"I'm more proud of that than anything really, because it's not trendy to have waste."

At the moment, Colin is making fairly small items, largely due to the space he has at his disposal.听

Colin's creations have a Gaudi-esque feel

But in the future, he intends to get a larger workshop, possibly a showroom and also hopes to take orders from people to create their own bespoke ornaments.

"I can make big, thick lumps of concrete, I can incorporate steel into the moulds before I pour them so I can go into the building trade more," he explains.

"If somebody wants something really fancy for their house, I could work with the architect and make it weight bearing and it could be detailed, patterned, but strong."

Despite the intricate designs he is able to create, Colin is insistent he should not be called an artist, but a craftsman.

"You've got to be careful what you call yourself, because artists are brilliant," he concedes.

Colin's sculptures can be quite intricate

"They can make a face or the shape of a body and other things that I can't do, so I'm very crude when it comes to being an artist.

"When an ice artist gets their hands on this, they should be able to make things that are dynamic in comparison to me. I'm just trying to make practical things to put in the garden.

"I want to spread the word if I can. I don't want to keep it a secret, I want other people to take it on.," he adds.

"An artist or a craftsperson now has a choice - they can draw, they can paint or they can do this now - it's another way of doing things."