SCHREIBER, Ont. - With only some simple tools, a pair of snowshoes, and a lot of effort, a Schreiber, Ont. man is creating works of art, and while they may not last long, they are leaving a lasting impression on people in the area.
“They are enjoying it. They like what I’m doing and telling me to keep it up,” said Kim Asmussen. “I’m trying to brand the town of Schreiber as the snowshoe art capital, so hopefully if we get more we can keep branding ourselves as that.”
Asmussen has only been creating snowshoe art since last year and he has created several designs on area lakes and baseball fields.
The works primarily consist of geometric patterns and can be as large as 300 metres in diameter.
Working as administrative relief for school boards in the region, Asmussen said some of the first designs were done with local students last year and it proved to be a good learning experience.
“We thought it was going really good and the shape was nice, but when we looked back at it we found how precise you have to be,” he said. “So it actually ended up being the first one again this year at the baseball field and we were more precise with our measurements and it turned out really well.”
The works of art usually start out with a drafted design, followed by measurements at the site, and then the work of actually walking out the shapes in snowshoes and packing or shading.
Once out in the snow, the actual tools are rather simple and include measuring tape, a compass, rope, poles, and of course snowshoes. Unfortunately, GPS systems are not accurate enough with such precise measurements in a confined space.
Creating the actual designs in the snow can sometimes take hours and there is a lot of hard work involved.
“Once you pull out the watch and look how far you walked it’s quite the distance,” Asmussen said. “You go back and forth a lot.”
Asmussen does not always do it alone either, often bringing out people to help out, though COVID-19 restrictions has meant fewer people can participate.
“I try to incorporate a lot of people when we can, but the sanctions only allow for five people. Eventually, it would be nice to get a whole big crew out to do some art,” he said.
Once a piece is complete, the next step is preserving it, which is usually done with an overhead video captured by a drone if the weather cooperates. And that is one of the most important steps as the designs created in snow can sometimes have a short life span.
“Quite often it will snow after we are done. I’m not disappointed,” Asmussen said. “As long as we can get that drone shot. We need a bit of sunlight. As long as we can get the drone shot we are happy.”
This year has been challenging so far to get out and create these intricate designs in the snow because of the warm weather early on in the season and the slushy conditions on the ice.
But Asmussen is continuing to work on more designs and plans to release a new video every week. He is also working on developing a website with how-to instructions for anyone who wants to take part in this unique art form, which not only offers some exercise, but a creative challenge as well.
“There is less to do and it’s given me something to do,” he said. “It also gets your brain going on the creative piece. You can’t just walk all over the field. Once you make a footprint you are committed to that footprint. I like the challenge of having to plan it out. Can I make it?”
More of Asmussen’s work can be found on his Youtube channel.
