Barrie man creates unique snow art in his front yard

Don McNair creates snow sculptures in the front yard of his Barrie, Ont., home. (CATALINA GILLIES/CTV NEWS)

A Barrie man is making the winter season a little bit warmer by bringing joy to his community with his fun artwork.

Snow sculptor Don McNair created a village of snow gnomes on his front lawn on Bayshore Boulevard near Golden Meadow Road.

The display has caught the attention of the neighbourhood and those who pass by.

"I'm happy to do it for them. I do it for myself just to get out of the house, but as long as other people are enjoying it too, it's a win-win," McNair said.

McNair started sculpting snow last winter out of boredom and said he enjoyed it so much he decided to make it an annual tradition.

"With COVID, there was nothing to do, and I came outside one day and started playing with snow. Next thing you know, I had made a bunch of statues and things."

McNair is a self-taught sculptor and came up with his own method to create the carvings.

He said he fills a wooden box with snow to create a snow cube, and after a day or so, he removes the box and uses homemade tools to transform the cube into a sculpture.

McNair then gives his sculptures a unique look by spraying food colouring mixed with water to provide the snow creatures with some life.

"It just gives them more depth because when you see a white sculpture on a white background, you don't really see all the detail," he said.

McNair plans to keep the sculptures on display until Mother Nature melts them away.