Eight-foot-tall Shrek and Donkey sculpture dominates Sherwood Park neighbourhood

Jacques St. Laurent's Shrek and Donkey sculpture in front of his home in Sherwood Park (CTV News Edmonton/Sean McClune).

A Sherwood Park man is taking a love for crafting things out of snow to another level with a detailed Shrek and Donkey sculpture.

Jacques St. Laurent, a millwright by day, has crafted different snow sculptures in his front yard for several years.

This year, his Shrek-themed creation on Menlo Crescent is nearing completion after 80 hours of work.

"I'm not really artsy, but I do tend to like building things with my hands," St. Laurent said. "Other than playing hockey and skiing, there's not much else to do in the wintertime.

"So I was like, let's take advantage of the snow and make the best of it."

The self-taught snow artist chooses the subject matter for his snow pieces based on what his family is watching that year. Last winter he made a Yoda sculpture in honour of Disney's The Mandalorian. Two years ago, it was Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon.

"The kids help me out and get me started," he explained. "I wanted them to help, but I gave them little knives, and they just wanted to start cutting everything off."

His family now helps with packing the snow as he creates the form.

This year's warmer weather has meant he needed to spend more time reshaping and fixing sections.

"It's most fun when it's freshly packed snow," St. Laurent told CTV News Edmonton. "Then it's like slicing butter."

Last year, when there was less snow, to create his Yoda sculpture, he had to go to the neighbours and ask if he could borrow their snow.

"I was like, you're not going to get it back," he laughed.

Before starting carving, St. Laurent says he makes a clay model and reshapes it for several weeks.

"It gives me something to look at," he added. "So every couple of feet on the snow sculpture is like about an inch in my model."

Neighbours have loved seeing the new designs every year, he said.

"People drive by all the time and stop to take pictures," St. Laurent said. "I do it for fun because I enjoy doing it and it's a challenge for me.

"But seeing all the neighbours and kids coming asking to take a picture is great too."