Poetic images straight from Canada.
For several months now, a man has been making huge murals in snow-covered fields and lakes in Ontario with snowshoes.
In 2020, Kim Asmussen, 62, a former school principal, was looking to cheat boredom during confinement.
While researching snow sculptures, he discovered the monumental snow art creations with snowshoes by artist Simon Beck in Banff Park (Western Canada).
"I said to myself, maybe I can do the same," said the retiree, happy to have found a way to reconcile mental and physical activity during the pandemic.
The exercise requires the "because once you make a trail in the snow, you can't erase it".
The artist uses drawing software and specialized websites to locate the best locations.
Once on the ground, he uses a compass, ropes, poles and is helped by a team of friends and students also equipped with snowshoes to crush the snow, to form immense geometric shapes in relief.
A fresco takes from a few hours to several days of work depending on the size and complexity of the patterns.
Since he started last year, Kim Asmussen has produced around 20 works.
The largest was 400 meters long.
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Before the next snowfall erases his creations, Asmussen immortalizes them by photographing and filming them by drone.
He then posts them on his Facebook account, where they have attracted the attention of many Internet users and several media.
According to him, only a handful of artists engage in the practice of art on snow with snowshoes.
"It's only starting to take off," he says, hoping that his example will be emulated.
He would like to be able to associate several schools in the region with his works, or even create a snowshoe art festival.
He is currently looking for locations near the Trans-Canada Highway so that his future achievements can be seen by passing motorists and truckers.
