Etching their visions in snow

A sculptor who typically works in clay found just the right touch carving in snow.

Dan Ingebrigtson and his team of carvers from the Milwaukee area won first place Saturday among 15 professional artists who entered the fourth annual Snow Sculpting Competition in Mount Prospect.

Their carving of a swan looking down at its reflection in a pond, surrounded by tall grasses, won the most votes, as cast by thousands of people who took in the public art display in the Randhurst Shopping Center parking lot.

"We've returned to our roots and had the general public do the judging," said Fran Volz, of Arlington Heights, event coordinator and founder of Snow Visions, the nonprofit organization that runs the three-day event.

More Coverage Video Snow sculpting Photo Gallery Snow sculptures

In landing the championship title, Ingebrigtson and his teammates Mark Mayzik and Greg Moerner earned a check for $1,500.

"We were just hoping people would see the reflection aspect of the piece," Ingebrigtson said. "That was the illusion we were trying to capture."

Second place, with a $1,000 prize, went to another Wisconsin team, led by Jeff Olson of Appleton, for his design of an umpire calling out player at home plate, called "You're Out!"

A pair of turtles carved by a team led by Fred Gardner of downstate Caledonia called "Slow Dancing," rounded out the top three, taking third place, and a check for $500.

The professional carvers also served as judges for the 12 high school teams who competed.

A group of Rolling Meadows High School students impressed with their sculpture called "Wolf." Senior Julie Fry of Mount Prospect led a team including her sister, Hanna Fry, and Gary Fritz and James Bingaman.

The defending champions from Fremd High School took second place for "The Great Escape," depicting a lobster tail in a boiling pot of water.

Palatine High School students placed third for "Shark Fish," featuring a fish in the mouth of a shark and surrounded by waves.

The teen artists did not win cash awards, but instead took home acrylic medallions and blue ribbons.

During the course of the carving phase, a sculpture by a Michigan artist of a shell collapsed, demonstrating how vulnerable the artwork is to the elements. The varying temperatures, combined with Friday night's rain and Saturday's sunshine wreaked havoc on some of the artists' work.

However, Volz described the overall conditions as wonderful for the free presentation phase which continues today, and longer depending on how long the sculptures remain standing. Conditions were so favorable, that Volz estimated nearly 75,000 people would come through the exhibit by this evening.

To view the artists' original sketches for the sculptures on display in Mount Prospect, see snowvisions.com.