MARIETTA, Ohio — Sculpting requires talent, but sculpting a medium that melts as you carve creates an even bigger challenge. Ice sculpture is unique in that the final product has a limited lifespan. In this edition of Exploring Ohio, we meet the artist behind Whistler Ice Works. 

What You Need To Know

  • Tyson Whistler has been sculpting ice for 15 years

  • Whistler Ice Works provides a variety of services including single-block and multiple-block sculptures, two-dimensional small logo sculptures, live demonstrations, and he even has an ice carving option with a luge for beverages

  • He also makes craft cocktail ice cubes which have become viral because of their ghost effect when placed in a drink

  • Most of his sculptures involve a single, 300-pound block of ice

Tyson Whistler has been sculpting ice for 15 years. But his passion for art began much earlier.

“I started as a kid drawing and painting, and sculpting a little bit here and there,” he said.

He was invested in a culinary career when he decided to make the transition to ice sculpting full-time. He enjoys the flexibility it allows him so he can spend time with his family.

Whistler Ice Works provides a variety of services including single-block and multiple-block sculptures, two-dimensional small logo sculptures, live demonstrations, and he even has an ice carving option with a luge for beverages. He also makes craft cocktail ice cubes which have become viral because of their ghost effect when placed in a drink.   

Whistler begins most of his sculptures with a drawing on tracing paper. He pastes it to a large block of ice and uses an array of tools to carve, chisel, and sand it into its final form. Most of his sculptures involve a single, 300-pound block of ice. The vision for his recent sculpture is based on a drawing from another local artist, Bobby Rosenstock. Rosenstock owns JustAJar Design Press in downtown Marietta. 

Each ice sculpture takes several hours to complete, and every move is a race against the clock. If the ice begins to melt too fast or Whistler carves too slowly, he will have to pause, refreeze the sculpture, and then resume at a later time. 

“The technique is key in that you are patient enough to not make a mistake. There isn’t really any turning back. But also quick enough to where the sculpture is not melting away. You’re not losing detail,” said Whistler. 

Whistler said he enjoys the transformation of the ice, “from the frost phase to the clear phase and then not only that, from the daytime light to the nighttime light.”

But he looks forward to seeing it in the end the most.

“It’s still kind of cool to see how it begins and the process, but to see where you start and what it evolves into, it is pretty neat,” he said.

Whistler posts many of his completed designs on his Facebook page. 

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