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Snow artist has the Alps as his canvas
Simon Beck is inspired by any fresh blanket of snow, and produces his intricate masterpieces
by jogging through deep powder on snowshoes -------------- November 07, 2014 by Pete Thomas
Snow artist Simon Beck likes to start work after a fresh snow.
All artists are unique, in terms of creativity, and Simon Beck is no
exception.
His canvas is as vast as the Alps because it is the Alps, and his primary
tools are a vivid imagination, a compass, and a pair of snowshoes.
Snow artist Beck will sometimes work 12 hours to complete a drawing.
The typical result, as viewers of his snow drawings might attest, is
beautifully stark and precise.
Beck, who this week released a book titled “Simon Beck: Snow Art,” has
been honing this unusual craft for about 10 years. Working mostly at
night with a headlamp, he generally produces about 30 snow drawings a
year.
Beck, 56, this week told The Guardian that he’s inspired by any fresh
blanket of snow.
“When you have a blank piece of paper, you draw on it,” he said. “So
drawing on a blank snowfall seemed like a natural thing to do.”
His canvas is wiped clean, obviously, by the next big storm.
Beck produces about 30 snow drawings each winter.
The artist once stated on Facebook, “Most of the skiers think I am a bit
mad, and it’s a waste of good skiing time. I agree, hence the preference
for working at night. But I hope to spread the message [that] the
mountains and snow are beautiful and worth preserving.”
Beck likes to produce geometrical patterns, much like those contained in
snowflakes, and this is due mainly to his extensive background as an
orienteering mapmaker.
Mathematical designs are easier, he said, because “you are just following
simple rules. You don’t have to keep referring to a diagram.”
It’s not easy work, however, because of its tedious nature, but also
because it entails being in deep powder after dark, trying to create
perfect patterns with the use of a compass, and by counting steps while
jogging on the snow.
“The main danger is having a minor accident skiing down at night after I
have finished drawing,” Beck explained. “Or running out of steam, if you
push too hard at the end of it. It is quite frightening how quickly you can
run out of steam.”
What’s remarkable is the crispness of his drawings, considering that
getting in and out without messing up his lines would seem to many to be
next to impossible.
“Normally you want to start in the middle,” Beck said. “But of course you
can’t start in the middle because you have to get there somehow. If it’s a
star, you have to walk in a straight line to the middle, then take a
compass bearing, and then work out the other bearings.”
When asked about the meticulous nature of his work, the artist
explained, “It takes a lot of practice, but I have these skills as an
orienteering mapmaking expert.”
How and why
Beck makes his
snow art