Outdoor enthusiast and cartographerSimon Beckhas carved his own path in the art worldliterally.
The mandala-esque circles and tumbling triangles unfold slowly with each stephis version of a brushstroke on a white canvas.
Becks ephemeral snow art is an exercise of the body and mind.
Scroll down for My Modern Met’s exclusive interview.
What inspired you to become a snow artist?
It happened more or less by chance.
How long does it take you to plan the designs?
What tools do you use in their creation?
Other tools are markers for the key points in the design.
How does the ski pole aid you in your work?
How has your career as a cartographer helped you in being a snow artist?
Accuracy in the use of a magnetic compass and distance determination by pace counting.
And being accustomed to spending many hours walking.
Once you are set on a design, how long does it take to recreate it outside?
As a guideline figure, an area of a soccer field takes four hours.
In easy conditions, I can work for about 12 hours before I become too tired.
Do you create your snow art all at once, or do you take breaks?
What happens if you make a mistake in your design?
When a mistake is made the usual remedy is to alter the design.
Sometimes one just accepts there is a wrong line.
It is important to proceed in a manner that prevents small errors adding together into a major noticeable quantity.
Have you ever fallen or anything like that?
Falling over is unusual.
Ultimately, your artwork is impermanent.
How do you feel about the fact that it will be washed or blown away?
The drawings work because of the shadow in the footprints.
(If one took it really seriously one would destroy the drawing after one has one’s own photos.
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