One of the most incredible things about art is the fact that there are no limits to what you can create, how you choose to create it, and how long you take to create it. Making art is so versatile, so it’s no wonder artists around the globe have their own techniques and preferences.
61-year-old Simon Beck is an example of a unique artist from Britain who I personally love. He doesn’t use paintbrushes, oil pastels, canvas, paper, or really any of your traditional art supplies to produce his work. Instead, the talented man walks in the snow to create geometric “drawings.” It sounds easy, but it takes a significant amount of time, physical labor, and an eye for detail!
Some of the artist’s most recent work has started to flood the Internet.
Over a two-week period this January, Beck was able to produce eight patterns in the snow during a Silverthorne, Colorado trip. Now, these weren’t basic circles drawn across a few feet of snow. The crop circle- and snowflake-inspired work would require Beck to walk in circles and create other elaborate details with his snowshoes for several miles over the course of two to six hours per design.
Before he can even get started, he draws out physical sketches on paper and makes calculations to decide how many steps he’ll have to make to complete his work. He even has volunteers alert him if he’s about to take an incorrect step. There’s a lot of time, love, and dedication that go into this man’s final products!
If his eight-part project isn’t already impressive enough, Beck has created a total of 300 snow drawings in his lifetime! He plans to create many more over the years.
In order to successfully complete his works of art, Beck must have a whole lot of patience as he makes consistent treads within the snow. Most importantly, he must accept that sometimes nature will go against him and damage his work before he’s able to finish it and take photographs.
“There were two drawings that took a day and a half to make and the first was blown away,” Beck said. “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.”
Although Beck’s work is temporary, the photographs of his creations will live on forever. From Beck, we can learn that patience is key and, ultimately, that sometimes the best things in life have to come to an end. Not all artwork can be held, hung, or even enjoyed for years. The snow “crop circle” work by Beck certainly doesn’t meet the later criteria. Yet, it’s art in its own unique way.
Check out Beck’s jaw-dropping work below!
