Craig Daily Press / Sense of wonderland

Archive for Saturday, February 13, 2010

Wyman Museum brings in professional ice sculptors

Michael Campe, owner of Colorado Ice Sculptures, adds the finishing details to an ice sculpture at Alice Pleasant Park. This is Campe’s third year making sculptures for the Wyman Museum’s Winter Festival and Art Walk downtown.

By Shawn McHugh

February 13, 2010

Photo by Shawn McHugh

Buddy Cassaday places a sheet of aluminum, which was warmed by an iron, on top of a block of ice Thursday. The warmed aluminum smoothes and levels the ice surface so laminated logos can be sealed between two flush blocks of ice.

Photo by Shawn McHugh

Michael Campe uses a flat ice chisel to form a snowflake ice sculpture to be featured at Alice Pleasant Park. Campe, who has been creating ice sculptures for 25 years, was the Colorado team captain at the 1990 Ice Sculpture World Championships in Ontario, Canada. The team represented the United States at the international event and took fourth place.

Photo by Shawn McHugh

Buddy Cassaday cuts through a 300-pound block of ice with a chainsaw specially tuned and sharpened for his trade Friday at Alice Pleasant Park. Cassady starting sculpting ice in 1982 and has worked with Michael Campe since 1985 as a chef and sculptor.

Photo by Shawn McHugh

Michael Campe edges a block of ice at the entrance of an ice castle in its beginning stages Thursday at the Wyman Museum. Campe considers the chainsaw his most valuable tool when creating ice sculptures.

This edition of Communities At Work takes a glimpse at a highly-specialized profession contributing to the community’s weekend events.

The Wyman Museum brought in Michael Campe, owner of Colorado Ice Sculptures, and Buddy Cassaday to add a sense of wonderland to the Winter Festival and Art Walk.

Campe and Cassaday both transitioned into the ice-sculpting realm from the culinary field.

Campe originally hired Cassaday as a sous chef at the Sheridan Denver West in 1985, and the two have worked together by cooking and/or chiseling ice ever since.

Campe originally turned to ice sculpting to fill requests for events through his culinary department and as requests, and as business picked up, he shifted his focus.

Although sponsored events for ice sculpture exhibitions have decreased along with the economy, Campe is happy to make his third visit to Craig to decorate the area with ice art.

Check out Campe and Cassaday’s creations at Alice Pleasant Park while making your rounds at Art Walk today or catch them in action during the Winter Festival at the Wyman Museum today and Sunday.