THE PROCESS

Freezing flowers is not just "freezing flowers"

Botanicals in Ice by Anna Thurber

Step 01

I GROW

most of the flowers I FREEZE

I have beautiful gardens and love to work the soil, plant the specimens and watch the new blooms emerge with the changing seasons. The daily care of cutting, caging, weeding, and watering animate and drive me to document the process

Botanicals in Ice by Anna Thurber

Step 02

BUILD & FREEZE

can get really INVOLVED

Tools
Timing
Control

The creative art of frozen botanicals involves the composition of materials; submerged in water; followed by watchful freezing. The freeze building process occurs in several steps that require attention to timing and temperature. During this process, I use a variety of techniques and tools to create my ice sculptures. These might include, dyes, chisels, mallets, & siphons that impact the appearance of my finished work.

Botanicals in Ice by Anna Thurber

Step 03

CAPTURE

a moment in TIME

The un-molding process can be demanding — most ice sculptures weigh upwards of 40lbs. Once a sculpture is removed from its mold, I photograph for hours to capture moments of change as the ice melts. I also experiment with lighting, torches, chainsaws.

Botanicals in Ice by Anna Thurber

Step 04

MELT

The end result is never what I first imagined — and never the end

The brief existence of the pieces I create, is essential to the process. Like nature, these sculptures emerge, transform, and then melt away replicating the cycle of life and leaving no environmental imapact.

View the Results
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