A chainsaw may not be thought of as a standard tool for creating art. But for ice carver Aaron Costic, he couldn鈥檛 make his art without one.
Costic is the man behind many of the ice sculptures seen around the region, including the dozens that will be on view this weekend in the historic district of Medina in Northeast Ohio. As a kid growing up in Medina, Costic shunned traditional art lessons.
鈥淲hen he was younger, we never thought of him as being artistic,鈥� said his mother, Peggy Costic. 鈥淵ou couldn't even read his handwriting. Ever.鈥�
Instead, her son spent more time in wood shop, getting comfortable with power tools.
鈥淚t wasn't until I found ice carving that I started nurturing the art side of my brain and taking more classes and practicing drawing,鈥� he said.
His mother remembers the day her son revealed to his parents his career plans.
鈥淗is father looked at him and said, 鈥楬ow are you going to make any money making ice cubes?鈥欌�� she recalled with a smile. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楢aron, if anybody can do this, you can.鈥欌��
Costic began practicing and learning the craft by participating in ice carving competitions, both nationally and internationally, sometimes as many as 18 a year.
鈥淭hrough all the practice and preparation and execution and also seeing what everybody else was doing, I was able to make mistakes faster,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you make mistakes faster, you learn quickly.鈥�
Costic went on to win the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, eight times. He鈥檚 competed in three Winter Olympics as part of the Cultural Olympiad, which celebrates the arts during the games. He won both a bronze and gold medal for his sculptures there.
When he wasn鈥檛 competing, Costic built his own ice sculpting business, Elegant Ice Creations. The studio in Broadview Heights has been designing custom sculptures for weddings and events across Northeast Ohio since 1991.
A few years after getting started, the company took over hosting the annual Medina Ice Festival, now in its 30th year.
Among the largest ice festivals in the region, more than 100 sculptures will be on view throughout Downtown Medina Friday through Monday. The artworks are all hand-carved by Costic and his small team.
The festivities include a fire and ice tower, where ice and fire battle one another, as well as an ice slide and live carving demonstrations.
鈥淔riday night we have speed carving where carvers go head-to-head for 20 minutes. The crowd picks who moves on,鈥� Costic said.
It鈥檚 a friendly competition between Costic and his long-time ice carving comrades.
Though that鈥檚 the extent of his competing these days, Costic continues to delight audiences with his favorite artform.
鈥淭he ephemeral quality is also something that people are amazed by,鈥� Costic said. 鈥淚t's here just for the moment.鈥�
