In January, Jeff Stahl of Artic Diamond in Cincinnati competed at the Hunter Ice Festival in Niles, MI. His Pegasus sculpture there offered a preview of his sculptures at the National Championships in Downers Grove, IL and at the World IceArt Championships in Fairbanks, AK. Because of his success at those events (first at Nationals and second in the realistic multiblock in Fairbanks) it’s fortunate that a patient photographer (Janet Crouch) took a long sequence of photos while he carved his sculpture in Niles. I now have a shortened sequence in the photo gallery and I think it’s useful for a couple of reasons. Not only do you get to see the process involved in putting together a competition sculpture, but you get an insight into how successful carvers sometimes choose designs for competitions. Jeff was not just thinking about the event in Niles; he was also considering two other events in February and March. If you look at pieces by other high level carvers like Aaron Costic, you can sometimes see a similar approach. Elements from earlier sculptures often get integrated into later ones, often with very good results. Anyway, check out the sequence...