Artist creates ‘ice garden’ outside his home

By Kirsten Mitchell

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Whoever says gardening isn’t for the winter, hasn’t met south Minneapolis resident Andrew Bentley.

He’s taken his love for the cold and turned it into a heartwarming project in his yard.

“It just unlocked this creative energy in me and out burst this ice garden,” he said.

Bentley said over the course of 12 days he crafted 30 unique ice shapes in his yard including flowers, a bench, and a heart, made special for his wife Elizabeth.

“I’m an artist on the side and have been doing ceramics for about 25 years, so I love sculpting and making large pieces, and so when I first started working with ice, I was astounded, it was so dynamic,” he said.

He originally hoped the project would get his kids outside in the winter, but they weren’t as fond of the cold. He said his son is helping design some shapes from the inside.

“Most people look at the weather at those frigid days they are dreading, those are my favorite days to do this,” he said.

To make the shapes, he uses balloons and various containers. He uses water to freeze them together.

“Every year our garden is thriving in the front and in the back, and it’s something we have all taken joy in as a family, so this has been especially fun making the most of our garden in the winter as well,” his wife, Elizabeth, said.

Bentley said he’ll continue tending to his garden until Mother Nature changes her plan.

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