Winter is arguably one of the most beautiful seasons. Frost on the trees. The crisp air. A fresh blanket of snow on the ground. Visually, it truly is stunning (depending where you live, of course).
Nothing beats seeing that untouched first blanket of snow covering a field or open space. Where most people see beauty, this artist sees his next project. Simon Beck is already mapping out the space, using a compass and geometry, to calculate how his next piece will fit.
Simon is an artist who creates his masterpieces by trekking through freshly fallen snow.
Simon starts by mapping out the space and figuring out the design. Some are patterns. Some are shapes. Sometimes he even makes beautiful snowflakes in giant fields. No matter what they end up being, the process is complicated and calculated.
After he has the logistics worked out, he makes the job look easy. He walks the paths with measured snow shoe steps to make each shape, never veering off track. From ground level it doesn’t look like much, but even the slightest bird’s eye view shows you how incredible each piece really is.
Each masterpiece can take anywhere between two and six hours to complete.
“There were two drawings that took a day and a half to make and the first was blown away.” Simon says of some of his creations. ” And all the drawings were damaged to an extent by the wind. A quarter of my time was spent reinstating work I had done earlier.”
Though the task may sound daunting to most, it’s just another day for Simon. The 61 year old from Taunton, Somerset, enjoys making these whether it’s for a commission or not. In total, Simon has created over 300 designs and has been everywhere from mountaintops to sports stadiums creating designs.
Obviously Simon is only human, so he admits he makes mistakes, but he usually just accepts there may be a wrong line or can alter the design slightly so that anyone looking at it won’t even notice. He says that though falling down is unusual, it can happen, but more than that happening, changes in the ground (or something that could make him fall) are more noticeable than an accidental snow angel.
The only sad part about Simon’s work is that it’s never permanent. They only last as long as the cold weather or before a big gust of wind, but Simon doesn’t mind. The fact that they’re temporary are what makes them so unique and harder to replicate. As long as Simon has his photos he’s happy, but sometimes its hard to get those just right as well. If the light is wrong or its a cloudy day, the design doesn’t look as good as it would in direct sun.
When you’re an artist like Simon, the whole world can be your canvas. His artwork is proof that there is only more beauty that can be found in everything. What started as an empty blanket of snow turned into a masterpiece. And who knows, maybe Simon has inspired you to create your own snow shoe art in your own back yard.
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