Ice Artists

The Ice Artists

This year’s Winterfest Festival brings together many of the best ice carvers in our state. At the 2010 Winterfest, we have lined up teams of two sculptors to transform 2,400 pounds of ice in to life-size pieces of outdoor art. Stroll the streets of Chelan and Manson Friday and Saturday as these teams spend the day carving away.

Steve Cox and Justin Cox

Steve Cox, owner of Creative Ice, has been in business for 23 years and has gained the artistry and customer service that is unmatched in the Puget Sound. International master ice sculptor Steve Cox brings over 20 years of experience to every handcrafted sculpture. Steve began his career sculpting for world-class hotels, and quickly built a reputation for artistic, high-quality ice sculptures. He currently does an average of 10 - 15 sculptures a week for corporate events, parties, weddings, and other special occasions. Steve has competed in global ice sculpting events, placing among the leading international ice sculptors. He's taken top honors twice in the British Columbia competition, showcased his talents in Asahikawa, Japan, and recently placed first in the Olympic qualifying event, sending him and his team to the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Steve’s son, Justin Cox, has been around the ice block awhile. Justin has been raised around ice and started delivering ice carvings with his dad Steve at five years old. That explains why ice runs in his blood. Justin’s favorite part about ice carving is traveling to new places to carve. Justin is the shop manager at Creative Ice in Kent, Washington and in his six years at Creative Ice, he has ran the ice lathe, programmed the CNC machine, carved a variety of popular sculptures, and set up the delivery schedules.

Janson Iwakami and Woody Rose

Owner of Amazing Ice, Janson Iwakami was born and raised in Hawaii and learned ice sculpting while employed as a chef at a resort hotel on the island of Kauai. He moved to Seattle in 1986 and while working at various hotels continued to practice ice sculpture. In 1990, Janson established a professional ice sculpture business, providing quality ice sculptures for Hotels, Restaurants, Country Clubs, Caterers, and many businesses throughout the greater Puget Sound area. 2010 marks 20 years of experience and thousands of sculptures created for weddings, corporate functions, intimate gatherings as well as many other special events.

Woody comes to us from Swedish Medical Center. He is the Nutrition Manager for the Cherry Hill Campus, Seattle. He has been carving ice for Swedish for 12 years at all of their major events. Prior to coming to the Swedish, Woody served 24 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and retired in 1995. He learned to carve ice in 1979 while in the Coast Guard. Woody served as a Certified Culinary Educator at the U.S. Coast Guard cooking school in Petaluma, California for four years and then on the Pacific Area Culinary Training Team for another four years teaching young chefs in the military the art of ice carving. Woody has been carving ice for over 30 years and has created everything from swans, eagles & vases to intricate designs for special events.

Tony Parker and Joaquin Quezada

Tony Parker, owner of Tony’s Ice Creations, has been operating in the Puget Sound area for 20 years. He first started sculpting when he was an apprentice cook at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle. Tony fell in love with the beauty and majesty of the sculptures created. Tony has competed in 4 World Ice Art Championships and many International competitions in North America. He has received Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals at some of these competitions. Currently, Tony is the General Manager at the Kent Boeing Space Center for Everest Dining Thompson Hospitality. He supplies all foodservice for Boeing and Microsoft in the Puget Sound region. Tony still continues to operate Tony’s Ice Creations for a group of corporate clients including the U S Navy in the Puget Sound.

Joaquin Quezada, owner of Creative Wood Sculptures, has been a chainsaw carver for over 30 years in Enumclaw, Washington. He carved his first ice sculpture in1999 with an ice carving team in Fairbanks, Alaska, where they placed third in the two-man competition. Since then, he has returned twice placing 7th in 2008 with a four-man team sculpting “The Dragon Riders,” (photos are available at http://www.icealaska.com/08/08mb8/08mbdaily/08mb10.html) and in 2008 he carved with his wife, Donna in both the Single Block and the Multi-block competitions (see www.creativewoodsculptures.blogspot.com). He also competed in 2009 at Lake Louise in Canada where his team took 4th. 2009 was also Joaquin's first year carving here at the Fire and Ice event. When not carving ice at events, he occasionally carves ice for close friends’ special events like weddings, but carves wood full time where he placed third in the nation in 2007. When asked which he prefers to carve, ice or wood, his reply is, “Well, wood you don’t get wet and cold, but ice you don’t have to pick-up the chips.”

Russ Leno and Mike Richards

Russ Leno has been sculpting everything from pumpkins to snow over the last 20 odd years. Mediums include pumpkins, sand, wood, snow, and ice. Sculpting alone or with a team has allowed more experiences and travel than any other aspect of his life. Russ has carved from Washington State to Washington DC, from Switzerland to China, sculpting a different medium in each place. Russ has found that his sculpting abilities present a professional and creative work of art. Sculpting provides onlookers with fascination of how he carves, slinging sharp knives and tools, and providing fact and fictional information for entertainment, with humor for all ages. Working with crowds increases his creativity and energy. Including onlookers in his sculpting entertainment creates experiences that will be remembered for years.

Mike Richards has been carving in Western Canada and Bend, Oregon and owns Keep It On Ice Sculptures. He finished first in the Amateur division on his third carving of his career in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island in 2002. In 2003, he took first in the Amateur Division in Vancouver's annual food show. In 2008, he won at the Qualicum Beach in the Professional Division as well as in Vernon, B.C. for their Winter Festival. Prior to ice carving, Mike was a chef for ten years and learned to carve ice his friend Yuki Ostubo.

James Royal and Larry Pratt

James Royal, owner of Illustrations In Ice located in Kent, Washington has been professionally carving ice for over 20 years. Illustration In Ice caters to a diverse clientele base with a large focus on ice sculptures for wedding receptions, product promotions and corporate events.

Larry Pratt loves the Fine Arts and has been involved in the Fine Arts since he was about 6 years old. He went on to become a Fine Arts Major at the North Western Community State College in Connecticut. Larry’s first snow sculpture was in his front yard while in college. Larry then moved to Chelan and saw all the snow; he decided to become involved in the Winterfest Snow Sculpting which was 14 years ago. He has been ice sculpting for the past 3 years at Winterfest, which is when ice sculpting was introduced to Winterfest festivities.

Vance Huber and Donna Quezada

Vance Huber began his ice sculpting career 23 years ago, while working as a chef for a local Tacoma hotel. Self taught in most aspects, Vance has studied many different forms of art, but prefers to design and sculpt in ice. In April 2000 he opened Studio Ice Inc. in Puyallup, WA with his identical twin brother – becoming one of the only twin set of ice sculptors in the world. Vance and his brother specialize in custom designed, basic, and pre-designed ice pieces plus much more.

Donna Quezada is a full time chiropractor in Enumclaw, Washington that has a blast carving wood and ice. She started carving wood in 2002, after she met her husband, Joaquin Quezada. She has come a long way since carving that first tree. Her first solo carving in ice was in the amature event at Ice Alaska in Fairbanks, 2008. What a challenge that was, 4 dogs and a sled! In both wood and ice, Donna specializes in dogs of every breed and carved a husky and chihuahua here at the Winterfest Fire & Ice Festival last year. She was so excited when asked by her husband, Joaquin, to be on his team last year for the Single and Multi-block competitions in Alaska. Although they did not place, the experience is one she will always remember with awe and wonder (www.creativewoodsculptures.blogspot.com). She says, "I love carving both wood and ice, but ice is really special because you can see the tip of the saw when you are deep within your piece. I love the permanence of wood, but the change of the ice sculpture as it melts is also fascinating, and the way the light reflects and shines through the ice is so beautiful. Talk about fire and ice, put some red and yellow lights on a sculpture at night and see the glow. Wow! That is worth seeing."