Great artists see potential everywhere, including, as Finnish artist and architect Pasi Widgren has recently shown, on frozen lakes.
Widgren recently created a massive “drawing” of a fox on Finland’s frozen Lake Pitkajarvi. He carved the 295-foot image into the ice using just his footsteps and shovel.
In an interview with the Associated Press, 40-year-old Widgren explained that he first had the idea for the fox drawing a couple of years ago. However, he is no stranger to snow and ice art. In the past, he has created images of a bear and an owl on the same snow-covered lake.
Widgren’s creative process started with a “sketch” of the fox, which he created by walking and thinking along the 4-inch thick ice. He assured the AP that the ice was thick enough to walk across safely, but he also brought ice awls in case he ran into trouble.
After finishing the outline, he went on to use a snow shovel to complete the drawing. The entire process took about 4 hours.
Once his project was finished, Widgren made sure to take the time to appreciate the work. He took a thermos of coffee to a mountaintop and looked down upon the drawing.
Although he is proud of his art, Widgren also isn’t upset that it won’t last forever. In the interview with the AP, he said that it’s important to him that his art doesn’t leave any marks behind. He also hopes that his art can encourage people to get out, hike, and enjoy “a beautiful nature.”
Widgren describes himself on LinkedIn as an architectural visualization artist. He is based in the Greater Lahti area of Finland. Those who want to see more of his work can follow him on Twitter or see video footage of his latest creation below via YouTube.