Art Piece Ice Block in Heat in Front of School

Arrik Kim of Thompson works on a squirrel ice sculpture as Josie Thurlow of Pomfret and her children Hazel, 7, and Orin, 5, watch Saturday during the annual Fire and Ice event in Putnam. See videos and more photos at NorwichBulletin.com [John Shishmanian/ NorwichBulletin.com]

On an unseasonably warm twenty-four hour period in February 2018, where pocket-size puddles of water dotted the streets of downtown Putnam, artist Laura Moorehead carefully worked on a large block of water ice.

She used a paw chisel to cleave a few hearts and the Northeast Connecticut Women & Girls Fund logo into the block.

"I am not a three-D artist so etching annihilation is challenging," said the 61-twelvemonth-old, who owns Angell Business firm Design in Putnam. "I borrowed a bunch of my hubby's tools and basically experimented on what would work best.

"I was agape of making a wrong move with a power tool and breaking the whole block into pieces."

Moorehead has lived in northeast Connecticut for 20 years and been passionate about art since she was in grade schoolhouse. She turned that unfamiliar ice canvas into a sculptured nod to the Northeast Connecticut Women & Girls Fund – a nonprofit that helps empower women of all ages.

"The weather concluding year fabricated carving even more than tricky since a lot of the marks I made merely melted in a matter of minutes," Moorehead said. "Simply I think the year earlier information technology was frigid cold then I will accept a warmer day any time."

Moorehead was i of dozens who participated in the 2018 Fire & Water ice Valentine's Festival, an annual event that turns downtown Putnam into a frozen fantasyland full of ice carving demonstrations.

This year's version is February. 9.

"It'southward unique, information technology'south fun, and it'southward a peachy reason to get out of the house and gloat the beauty of wintertime," Moorehead said.

Animals and a wedding party

Carvers, both amateur and professional person, bring their chisels, sawzalls, and butane torches to Burn down & Water ice. Crystals of ice autumn at their feet, every bit they fashion ice into the images in their heads.

Putnam'south Fire & Ice Festival is touted equally the nation's largest single-cake water ice carving contest in the U.S., and New England Today listed it among its Best New England Wintertime Events for 2019, where "artists transform 300-pound chunks of frozen water into sparkling masterpieces."

Trucks deliver the blocks of ice and within hours, alive demonstrations transform the ice into diverse shapes and figures and bring together pre-carved blocks that in 2018 included a tablet, bride and groom, wedding apparel, table and chairs and an water ice bar.

In years past, artists have worked on a blue heron standing in reeds, a castle tower, seahorses and a sea turtle.

Lauren Deery, a Putnam Loftier Schoolhouse student, got her get-go taste of water ice sculpting in 2018. The 16-twelvemonth-one-time stood in front of Victoria Station and channeled her talents into transforming the 300-pound block of ice into a conduct.

"I've never washed this before, simply idea information technology would be a good artistic claiming," she said of the experience. "It'due south different."

Crowds of people jam into downtown Putnam for the festival where a block of ice is ready aside for children and adults can experience ice sculpting.

"Fire & Water ice is the largest single block water ice carving contest in New England," Moorehead said. "What other town in Northeast Connecticut can say that?"

Planting a seed

The owners of Victoria Station Café came upwards with the idea for the festival and approached the Putnam Business Association to assistance organize and establish information technology.

A small grouping of business concern owners formed the PBA in 2009, and now that group boasts more than 180 business organisation members from various industries, professions and trades with the unified vision of promoting and publicizing Putnam.

The association sponsors the annual Fire & Ice Festival – it besides doubles as a pre-Valentine's Twenty-four hours celebration with heart themes and chocolate galore – that has drawn larger and larger crowds each yr into Putnam.

"It takes some time – you have to institute the seed," James Martin said while continuing exterior the restaurant he owns 85 Main during last twelvemonth'due south festival. Martin said he also helped support the festival in its early on stages. "We just hoped it could be this large, and then information technology took off."

The community consequence includes glowing burn torches and burn dancing opportunities, amongst other components; an "Icing on the Cake" result where professional and novice bakers from around the surface area show off their culinary masterpieces; chocolate sculptures that showcase what downtown Putnam has to offering.

"This was an idea that came through one of the businesses on Main Street," said Jennifer Beckett, a co-chairwoman of the 2018 festival, along with Sheila Frost, "to bring a unique wintertime festival to our cute town and to help become people excited to come and visit in a rather common cold and slow season."

Last twelvemonth, 48 blocks were on display; and professionals, local artists and entrants carved one-half of those blocks during a v-hour stretch of time.

"We host a carving competition that allows professionals, amateurs and group categories to participate past coming out to our Main Street the day of the event," Beckett said. "They can create whatever masterpiece they desire."

Rena Masson, who owns Tunk Urban center Revival in Danielson, has lived in the area for nearly 20 years and participated in Fire & Ice as a carver for six years.

"I'm looking forrad to this twelvemonth," she said.

Program B

Masson is a 33-year-old sculptor and mixed media artist. Tunk City Revival is an artist marketplace and maker infinite.

Commonly with a steaming cup of java sitting somewhere nearby, Masson has chipped abroad on blocks of ice to carve angel wings, the word "Dearest", hearts, fish, people and a penguin.

Her favorite office of carving ice is the fact "there's no get back-sees."

"You tin't un-carve anything and y'all must become with the flow," Masson said. "One wrong tap and you lot better take a Programme B."

Co-ordinate to the website "How Stuff Works," water ice artists employ a range of hand and ability tools to carve the block into a piece of work of art. Chisels, hand saws, rut guns, nail boards, sanders, chainsaws, and die and bending grinders fitted with special bits are all parts of a sculptor'southward toolbox.

In the 1980s and 1990s, a sculptor named Mark Daukas propelled ice carving into new artistic territory. Daukas, from California and also known as the Ice Main, is a six-time national champion and won dozens of competitions effectually the world. His secret is using power tools instead of traditional chisels to carve the water ice.

Arrik Kim knows the secret to etching blocks of water ice is in the tools.

Kim is a member of Block 134, a gallery located on Main Street in Putnam. He's a 1983 graduate of the University of Connecticut schoolhouse of Fine Arts and lives and in northeastern Connecticut.

He's a woodcarver and said his real inspiration is people, faces and the female figure.

He'due south entered the Fire & Water ice etching event four times – i twelvemonth he tried to carve a queen sitting on a throne.

"That was a picayune as well ambitious," Kim said. "I ran out of time. The year earlier that, I carved a couple on either side of the ice block. I've besides carved a fish and bear in ice.

"If y'all're going to compare information technology to wood, yous take to employ very sharp tools. The water ice just chips abroad. I've seen people employ chainsaws. I but apply a couple of large chisels. Ice is easier than wood. As a wood carver, though, it's sad when y'all come up upward with something nice that you've carved out of ice and it's gone in a day or two. Information technology's fun, though."

Icy to Toasty

Despite the water ice and typical Feb temperatures, the Fire & Ice Festival will offer plenty of ways to keep warm, with dinner and potable specials bachelor at local restaurants and an opportunity for newcomers and festival goers to discover the many shops and galleries of Putnam.

There will exist demonstrations, special sales and shop events.

In the past, the Putnam Congregational Church featured roaring fire pits and free hot chocolate. Burn down torches and burn dancing performances from Sasha the Burn Gypsy make the downtown glow.

And just in fourth dimension for Valentine's Day – roses and Putnam chocolate confined will be available for purchase.