While some may have been put off by the recent deep freeze, one Winnipegger is taking advantage of the elements. Bradley Gerbrandt, an Elm Park resident, decided to sculpt a giant mermaid out a block of ice in his front lawn. Gerbrandt, a seasoned snow carver, said it took between 12 to 15 hours to complete the project. “I also have to make the mold as well, so that takes time as well. You know (it’s) difficult, lots of shoveling. I got my neighbour to help me out this year, which is nice. He’s a little younger than me,” he said. Having crafted everything from penguins to an angel to even an astronaut over the last few years, the artist said the most challenging component of the process is deciding on a theme. This year’s inspiration came from a youthful source — his six-year-old daughter. “The reason why I probably came to a mermaid is that I showed the design to my daughter, and she kind of latched on to it. I probably would’ve moved on, but I couldn’t get away from it, so mermaid it was. And I was actually looking forward to creating something that is just fun,” said Gerbrandt. Although the thought of standing outside in the bitter cold might make one weary, Gerbrandt said frigid weather helps preserve the integrity of his designs. “Two years ago, I made a fox, and it melted within a week, and I had to be kind of made a little bit bulkier so it would melt better. But this year, knowing that it was super cold, I was able to make some, like the mermaid’s limbs and stuff, thinner, and a little bit more precariously drawn out from the main body. I was able to sand them down nice and be confident with the fact that they weren’t going to melt right away,” noted Gerbrandt. “Also sanding and scraping in those, those deep, deep, deep cold temperatures, they really do make for a better product in the end.” The artisan said his carving process is also a fun topic of discussion for his neighbours, and something he hopes to continue perfecting in the future. “The close neighbors, they’re always guessing because, like, sometimes they don’t want to know what it is, and they’re just guessing as it comes to form. ‘Is it a cow on its knees?’ Well, I don’t think so! You’ll see! But there’s all these fun guesses… I do it for myself, of course, but it fills my heart knowing that people look forward to it,” said Gerbrandt. As for his daughter’s reaction, Gerbrandt said it was positive overall, minus some constructive critiques. “She loved it, of course. But she’s maybe my toughest and best critic…A lot of people around me won’t necessarily say the things that are on their mind about what they’re thinking about my art, but my daughter, she’ll tell me, ‘This doesn’t look right Dad, maybe work on this,’ so I got her out there before I was finished with it. I asked her a couple of things, and she told me ‘This, this, and that!” and she was right!” said Gerbrandt. The mermaid is now viewable on Elm Park Road. With files from CTV’s Daniel Halmarson
