Three ambulances with sirens blaring, motorists honking horns and people stopping to ask questions could not break his concentration. With tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth, Stephan Koch, 31, makes precision cuts on a 70-pound block of ice from Louisville Friday afternoon.
For the past three years the Yorktown native has made art out of ice. The fact that his artwork lasts for just a few hours does not bother him.
Once it melts, "it's time to make something else," Koch said.
Wearing a navy-blue hood, a thick black winter coat over a fuzzy forest-green sweater, black snow pants and dark gloves, Koch was prepared for the 35-degree temperature and wind chill.
With an electric Makita chain saw, a die-grinder, an electric sander, a blowtorch and numerous other tools, Koch sculpts his latest piece -- an art deco-style couple embracing.
The frozen couple was created for a private party held at Blue Bottle, Inc.
Tom Steiner, owner of Blue Bottle, Inc., asked Koch to do the piece.
"If he makes a mistake, he can just freeze it back together," Steiner said while Koch chiseled away at the ice.
Koch agreed that this process is an advantage of sculpting ice. If a piece cannot be fixed by fusing (the process of merging two pieces of ice together), other options are available. If possible, the mistake can be worked around and incorporated into the design.
Also, the design can be completely changed. The last resort would be to start over with a new block of ice. That rarely happens to him, Koch said.
Koch has been known to bleed for his art.
"I was working too fast," Koch said, as he pulled the sleeve of his coat up to reveal two scars on his lower arm. "The chain saw bit me."
"I got the scars on my arm from a chain saw when I was in a hurry and just not being careful enough -- I was quite fortunate considering the circumstances."
To date, this is the only serious injury he has to report.
Koch studied at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan. He learned to sculpt by taking classes in culinary school.
Before he took up ice sculpting, Koch learned to carve wood and soapstone.
"I prefer ice because it's fast," Koch said. "I can carve a swan in a half-hour."
However, ice sculpting can be a complex process as well.
Koch starts with a design template, either one he creates or one the client provides. He then uses his chain saw to cut the rough shape of his design into the ice.
With his die-grinder, he fleshes out the details, carefully drilling fine lines. To see his progress, Koch takes out a small whisk broom and wipes the shavings and other fine debris off the emerging sculpture. This time with his set of hand chisels, he fine-tunes the details. Once satisfied, he smoothes the edges with an electric sander.
To finish his creation, he uses a blowtorch to remove what debris is left. The heat from the blowtorch melts the ice enough to further smooth the rough edges. It also makes the ice become clear.
For Koch, the most difficult thing about ice is getting its temperature right.
"Ice can be heavy and delicate," Koch said. "If the ice is too cold, it's brittle. If it's too warm, it won't fuse together."
Koch has participated in numerous competitions since he began ice sculpting. He placed first at the 2001 Ludington Ice Fest in the individual division, second in the team division. At the 2001 Holland Oktoberfest, Koch placed first again. He also has received awards from the American Culinary Federation and the National Ice Carving Association.
However, Koch prefers the more informal competitions where the fate of the artists is in the audience's hands. He gets more satisfaction out of knowing that the audience liked his artwork better than the other artists.
The most rewarding part of the process for Koch is seeing his designs take shape.
"I love creating things though this work of art will last three or four hours," Koch said.
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