We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Keith Martin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Keith below.

Hi Keith, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

He is a free soul, some would say. Others would classify it as ADHD. I just say that I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

As I approach my 50’s, I look back on my many careers and can see the pattern emerge. I dont stick with one thing for long and am always looking to do something different.

Tow truck driver, mechanic, fabricator, chef, waiter, framer, roofer, drywaller, tile setter, and every other avenue of construction. I just couldn’t make up my mind what it is that I want to do. All these things I have done and still that overall passion for ART was needed in my life.

In culinary school years and years ago……I was introduced to the art of ice carving. As part of the culinary curriculum, the students had a day in the park carving ice blocks. I remember being excited for this opportunity and how this one day changed my life.

That ice block carving back in 1997 started a long journey to where I am at today. It might have taken me a lifetime of careers to build what is in front of me now. I had to learn from all my experiences. The collection of skills and understanding of how things work has put me in the Captains chair for my artistic campaign.

Snice Carvings was started 10 years ago as a snow and ice carving business that focuses on large scale projects for companies such as Vail, Disney, X Games, Mountain Dew and many more. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right set of skills to make large scale sculpture come to life.

With the years of working in industries other than Art. I built a very specific set of skills that allows me now to pursue art as a career. The management skills from the kitchen, engineering expertise from construction and mechanical knowledge from the fabrication auto repair towing industry all adds up to what I can accomplish today.

I have a family that belongs to the Snice Carving Crew made up of artists, construction workers, fabricators, engineers, operators and most importantly friends. I have not only been able to follow my passion as an artist, but I am also able to include all these friends into my winter playground. We all show up to work with a childlike enthusiasm, ready to conquer the day and solve any problem that confronts us.

Being creative with this group of individuals is how I define happiness. We are allowed to use our imaginations to create mind blowing, jaw dropping and gravity defying pieces of art that allow the general public to interact with the snow in a way no one thought possible.

My career in art not only satisfies my need to be creative….It also allows people to share in the experience and have their own takeaways from what we created.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Snice Carvings, a snow and ice carving company based in the mountains of Colorado. From Mazes to snow Forts, we get to build them all.

Activity is a major part in the Colorado lifestyle. Skiing, hiking rafting and more are available everyday. You just have to get out there and go get it.

I am a big snowboarder and love the winter opportunities. I also have a passion for art. Both of these loves in my life coupled with the skills I obtained in my careers have lead me into the path of business ownership.

I started carving ice in my culinary career and as a part of my travels I ended up in Breckenridge Colorado where they hold the International Snow Sculpting Championships. Years of hard work and also a little of knowing the right people,,,I was asked to be a part of this event in 2006. That marked the day that art would consume my life. I was able to carve on a team this massive 22 ton block of icy snow into this breathtaking piece of art. The form started as a block and finished a week later with curves and style that would make people stop and stare.

There is a power that this form of art has. It shear size is enough to command attention.

The wheels of opportunity started to turn as the next few years unfolded. I was aware that this form of art could be used in other resorts and in other ways. I started contacting mountain towns and found a following for ice and snow festivals. I injected my ideas and was rewarded with a few carvings. This lead into talking to the ski resorts and becoming involved with the Snow fort build in Keystone Colorado. From there I branched out even further and now have several ski resorts, mountain towns and marketing companies that I work with.

Playing in the snow has lead Snice Carvings to become the premier Ice and snow carving company for Colorado Rocky Mountains. The team consists of many artists with different backgrounds coming together to create massive projects. The interactive work of the team translates to months of fun for visitors.

I am proud Snice Carvings gets to help families have a great time while on vacation. We are helping make memories that last a lifetime.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Working with others is the most rewarding part of what I do.

As an artist, i have strong opinions on my own work. I like to be in command and have complete control over a project, but this is not the way the world works.

Even if I was to have control, something is bound to go wrong. And when things go wrong, well that is when my team and I are at our strongest.

I have assembled one of the finest problem solving teams imaginable. We are all working together to find the best solution because the success of the project depends on the success of each individual. Our friendships have developed over the years and each of us is in the others corner ready to back them up at any time. This is a powerful family.

I have learned that working with others allows for larger projects to happen in a timely manner. We all have the i can do it attitude, but the reality is it takes a team to be successful on a large scale. We can all do our part and bring it all together that it fits perfectly.

I am leader of action. I control the field but also will be working right next to you. I have to be the eyes for the project yet that doesn’t stop me from grabbing a shovel and getting into a trench. The work needs to be orchestrated by a conductor but I still play an instrument while waving the wand. All the players are team players and we all count on one another to get the project done.

This feeling of comradery is amazing. We all work together to achieve the final goal. It isn’t just about me. This is about a Snice Carving family

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society needs to be active in art. Even if it is a different opinion, everyone has a voice. Art is subjective. We all look at things different. But being active in art is supporting it.

Go buy a painting from someone on the street. Drop some money in a hat for a corner musician. Go see a show at the local theater. Complement the creativeness of anyone that is being different. Support peoples choices. Give to the creative youth anyway possible. Make artists feel that what they do matters.

We as artists are just trying to spread the Love in the best way we know how

Contact Info:

• Website: Snowandicecarving.com
• Instagram: Snicecarvings
• Facebook: Keith Martin
• Youtube: Keith Martin Snice Carving

Image Credits
Ad Sortium Media took the photo of me. All other photos are mine. All projects for ski resorts I have permission to share my work with their logos