EXHIBITION TEAM YUKON CANADA
From February 5-7, 2013, the members of the 2013 Yukon Canada International Snow Sculpture Tour will be carving an exhibition sculpture in the Village at Northstar to open Carve Tahoe. Donald Watt, Michael Lane, Terry Gunderson and Evi Watt have a long history of success, including 1st place prizes at competitions in St. Viglio and Innichen, Italy, Nayoro and Sapporo, Japan, Grindelwald, Switzerland, Murmansk, Russia, Quebec City, Canada and Breckenridge, CO, USA. Captain Donald Watt has been working with sculpture and printmaking for over 35 years and his work has been featured in several television commercials. Michael Lane is the team’s specialty toolmaker, anticipating and researching the tools needed for different pieces. Terry Gunderson is a graphic artist who has been carving snow with the team for the last two years. Evi Watt works in art glass and has fronted for team Yukon Canada at several Breckenridge competitions. Their exhibition sculpture is well suited for opening Carve, representing two bodies beating a massive drum.
TEAM FINLAND
The members of Team Finland, Riitta Matikainen, Virpi Timonen, and Jaakko Vaisala, are used to carving different materials in cities across the globe. Their expertise ranges from snow to sand to ice, and is shown in their record. They won 2nd prize at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan as well as 2nd prize at the Harbin, China Snow Festival. Their sculpture for Carve is described as both fascinating and frightening at the same time. It depicts the mysterious nature of a forest and is fittingly dubbed, “Secret Forest.”
TEAM GERMANY
Team Germany, composed of Friedemann Theil, Lothar Luboschik, and Detlef Schurtzmann, love working with snow and enjoy the challenge of creating abstract and sophisticated sculptures. They have carved in competitions all around the world including Japan Nayoro (1st Prize), USA/Breckenridge (2nd Prize), China Harbin (Special Prize), and Germany Munchen. Their sculpture for Carve, named “Four Elements”, represents the building blocks of all life – Fire, Water, Air, and Earth – held together by an eternal bond.
TEAM JAPAN
Team Japan is composed of three experienced carvers – Yoshimasa Tsuchida, Teruyasu Matsumura and Shin Ozaki. They have won 1st place at the Japan Cup International Snow Sculpting Competition in Nayoro, Japan 3 times in the past 5 years. Members of the team have also won 1st place at the International Sculpture Symposium in Roldan, Argentina and the Creative Prize at the 17th Harbin International Snow Sculpture Competition in China in 2012. Their sculpture for Carve is called “Heart to Heart.”
TEAM USA CALIFORNIA/TAHOE TRUCKEE
Team USA California/Tahoe Truckee, comprised of Ira Kessey, Mark Davis and Ed Winslow, have extensive experience in working in all mediums including wood, stone, glass, ice, snow and food! From creating public works of art and carving ice at two winter Olympic Games, to competing in Harbin China’s world famous ice and snow competition, Team USA California represents Lake Tahoe California with pride and daring. Their sculpture for Carve, entitled “Rising Tide” is based on the loss of landmass and erosion around the world due to global warming and the rising sea levels.
TEAM USA/CANADA
Team USA/Canada is a fluid team of experienced snow/ice carving friends (about 10) from the Great Lakes area bordering the two countries. They have won multiple international competitions including snow sculpting events in Breckenridge, CO, Frankenmuth, MI and Sarnia, Ontario. The Tahoe team: Bob Fulks, Jayne King, and Ian Washington will be coming together for the fourth time as a team. Team captain Bob Fulks is a commercial construction manager from the Detroit, Michigan area, Ian Washington is a designer/business owner from Sarnia, Ontario, and Jayne King is an automotive engineering techi, also from Detroit. Their sculpture for Carve, a representation of tree branches woven together, is called “The Stand”.
TEAM USA IDAHO/BONNER’S FERRY
Team Idaho/Bonner’s Ferry, Lee Harris, Winter Ramos and Josh Knaggs, is comprised of complimentary talents. Lee is a stone/antler sculptor, oil painter and a counselor who thoroughly enjoys her life and animals (horses, dogs, cat and turkey). Winter is an extreme snowboarder, climber (ice and mountain), speaks fluent Spanish, travels worldwide and has much experience in alternative energy. Josh is a much respected and liked art teacher (mixed media paintings and ceramics, personal outlet) at Bonners Ferry High School whose personal interests are snowshoeing, hiking, boating, swimming, and bouldering, among other outdoor activities. The team’s sculpture for Carve depicts Kermode bears, a unique black bear of two recessive genes, having a great laugh at humans categorizing their status.
TEAM USA IDAHO/DUNHAM
This team of Barb, Trish, and Mariah has carved together many times, competing in international competitions at Breckenridge, Whitehorse, and most recently, the U.S. National competition in Lake Geneva, WI. At home Barb expresses her creativity in many ways including pottery, tile-work, mosaics, & photography. Trish enjoys being a textile artist, knitting, weaving & felting wearable & decorative art. Mariah has dabbled in many art mediums, enjoys sculpting, and has developed a critical eye toward the sculpting of snow. Their sculpture for Carve, “Sweet House of Madness”, depicts the harmonious process behind the perceived madness of bees at work.
TEAM USA WISCONSIN
The men of Team USA Wisconsin, Greg Moerner, Dan Ingebrigston, and Mark Hargarten, are coming together at Carve after competing at various competitions in Italy, Canada, and the United States (Maine, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Colorado to name a few). They bring with them backgrounds in industrial design, sculpting and mold making. Their Carve sculpture is called “Dance of the Firebird”, an idea derived from the uplifting tradition that affirms we are not just human individuals living in a material world, but also part of a bigger community of spirited beings who are deeply connected.