Unlike in Winnipeg one short week ago, the first day in Whitehorse was cold and windy. The temperature was -28C and the wind was up and down throughout the day. It was sunny all day long and that helped warm things up a wee bit.
Here’s a quick video from day 1.
Kim on top of the block
After taking a chunk of the back we began sawing small blocks (2ft by 2ft by 1ft) to create the base of the wings that are going to extend out the front of our sculpture. By the afternoon, these blocks were only half that size.
Theressa is sawing on top of the block
Of course, when somebody cuts a block somebody else has to move the block. Terry did more climbing up and down ladders than he normally does, but with Theressa cutting on top of the block and Kim placing and sanding the block in front, that left one job for Terry.
The blocks are moved to where we need them
Before the blocks can be used in the sculpture they need to be sanded smooth so that they help form a solid wall. Here you can see Theressa and Kim in various stages of sanding.
Kim is sanding a block to be used in the wing
Theressa is scraping the outside of one of the wings
At the end of day 1 we have the two wings that will project 4ft from the original block (12ft wide by 8 ft deep by 10ft high).
The blocks have been easy to cut, however this is not always a good thing. This year, these blocks are made up of sugar and ice shards. Sugar snow is light and easy to cut, shape, and sand, but it is very difficult to put a fine edge on a sculpture. The next time you are looking at a bowl of white granulated sugar imagine trying to carve it. Also, the ice shards are a result of extreme changes in the weather. It has been very warm (thus melting the snow) followed by extremely high winds and cold temperatures. These extremes then form layers of ice that are sometimes inches thick.
