Ice sculptures add awe, whimsy to food displays

Ah, the allure of ice sculptures. They tower over buffets, forcing us to forget about the food. Their glistening presence lures us to touch (and even lick) them.

I'm fascinated by ice sculptures -- and equally afraid of the chain saws used to make them. So when Fresno ice sculptor Paul Germain offered a lesson, it was the perfect chance to conquer my fears.

Germain, an art teacher at McLane High School in Fresno, is on the board of directors of the National Ice Carving Association. Among his sculptures is a 4-foot-tall replica of a Concord stage coach inscribed with "Wells Fargo & Company." He has carved a 5-foot-long Harley Davidson motorcycle and portraits in relief.

"I'm usually teaching very experienced chefs," said Germain, who owns the Academy of Ice Carving and Design in Fresno. When times were good, "we were running a chef every week."

As the economy slowed, fewer chefs came to Fresno. Plus, a back injury made it harder for Germain to create giant sculptures. As a result, he is focusing more on teaching the public.

Enter moi. I'm not a professional chef, and my last art class was in high school. Could I really carve an ice sculpture in a day?

"Anybody can do it," Germain said. He pointed out that accomplished chefs often don't know how to draw. "I spend a lot of time building up the confidence of chefs who have no art experience whatsoever."

To prove his point, he suggested two sculptures. One 3-foot-tall piece would depict Scoopy, The Bee's mascot, peeking around the side of a beehive. The simpler piece, an engraved heart cut to look like crystal, would stand about 11 inches tall.

Together, the two sculptures should take just a few hours, Germain said.

Well, you can guess what happened next: We started in the morning, and after all of my reporter's questions, it was dark outside. But the experience taught me a number of valuable lessons. Here's what a newbie can expect.

Lesson 1: The ice cubes in your freezer are unsuitable for carving.

That's because they freeze on all sides simultaneously, trapping air bubbles that turn the ice cloudy, Germain said.

To prevent this problem, he uses a machine to freeze water from the bottom up. A pump breaks up any air bubbles. The result is 300-pound blocks of ice so clear, you could read a newspaper through them.

Lesson 2: You need a lot of scary-looking tools to carve ice.

Germain's studio brings horror movies to mind. Chisels line up on one wall, while a diverse collection of die grinders decorates another. And don't get me started on the chain saws, or the numerous electrical cords needed for the power tools.

Lesson 3: You wear a lot of rubber while carving ice.

My ensemble consisted of heavy rubber gloves, black rubber boots and a nylon apron that resembled overalls.

It seemed excessive, but once the chain saw started up and the snow flew, I was grateful for all the coverage.

Lesson 4: Cutting and carving in straight lines is critical.

"Stop! Stop!" Germain called above the roar of the chain saw.

I clumsily turned it off.

"The saw is leaning," he said. "See, you're not cutting a straight line."

I was slicing off one-third of the 300-pound block of ice. But the chain saw was heavy on one side, and my tired arm couldn't hold it up properly. (More push-ups!)

Germain took over, easily slicing through the block. Then he placed tracing paper with a pattern of the beehive and Scoopy on the smaller piece of ice.

We would use a die grinder to cut along the pattern and engrave Scoopy and the beehive. Germain stressed the importance of holding the die grinder perpendicular to the ice.

My hands shook as they held the tool.

"Faster, faster!" Germain kept saying.

I tried. I really did. But then the die grinder tilted and veered off the pattern.

"OK, maybe you should go more slowly," he finally said.

Lesson 5: Mistakes are fixable. (Thank goodness.) In hindsight, I shouldn't have been so afraid.

Germain easily cleaned up my engraving. When Scoopy's hand fell off, he used chewing gum remover (a butane-based spray) to freeze it back in place. And when he carved too many lines into the beehive, Germain used a torch to melt them off and start over.

Lesson 6: You, too, can carve ice.

That heart sculpture was downright easy. We used a chain saw to cut out the heart, chisels to smooth the sides and shape the crystal pattern, and a die grinder to engrave letters.

If you can move a chisel in a straight line, you're good to go.

Carving Scoopy and the beehive was harder, and I was grateful for Germain's patience in fixing my mistakes. His good cheer and entertaining stories also carried the day. (Hint: Ask him about the 7-foot tall ice arch with a snowman.)

The bottom line? Germain's right. Just about anyone can learn to carve ice.

Video demonstration of ice sculpting