By Mark J. Lucas

When you get right down to it, there’s nothing more hardcore than using a chainsaw, a power sander and a giant propane blowtorch to make art. Those are the tools of Paul “Ice Man” Ahrens’ trade. Since 1981, he’s been going hog wild on 600-pound blocks of ice and turning them into beautiful, delicate, pristine sculptures that are crystal clear and stone-cold awesome. He even made a custom ice bar for (614) in about an hour from his studio, Pristine Ice, while we talked with him about how one goes about getting into the trade of ice sculpture, which of course was answered in the most badass way possible.

“The guy that I learned from was a Japanese master,” said Ahrens, casually, as if it wasn’t one of the coolest things anyone can say. “He would stand back like he was Zoro – he was a f**king little crazy guy – and stuff was falling off where it was supposed to. All of a sudden, bing-bang-boom, and there was a swan.”

That Japanese master was Hiroshi Noguchi, Executive Sous Chef for the Ritz Carlton, Chicago. He’d selected Ahrens and three others from the kitchen staff to help him with the ice bars for Sunday brunch, an opportunity Ahrens jumped at, as a 21-year-old father of two. For the next year and a half, he made the exact same sculpture for the Ritz, which may sound monotonous, but according to his teacher, he got off easy.

“He put tools in our hands and assessed us then,” explained Ahrens. “We had to make the same thing for 18 months, and when I asked him about it later, he said, ‘Everything’s too easy for Americans. In Japan, everything I carved for two years was thrown away. Everything you carved for two years went out.’ Out of sheer respect, that’s how it was done.”

A few years down the road, Ahrens found himself a single parent trying to make ends meet in Columbus, so he got a space and bought – of all things – an old Edy’s Ice Cream truck from a salvage yard for $1,000, which he repaired. It now sits in his shop today, storing his wares. Just like in a metal fabrication or carpenter’s shop, there are certain tools that are bought and certain equipment that is improvised out of necessity, like the rigs he uses to move the ice around and lathes to make columns.

But where does one go to get huge chunks of flawless ice, anyway?

“This came from an Amish ice house,” said Ahrens. “A guy named Mike Yoder makes this block ice. During the freezing process, the water’s kept moving so that the ice stays clear. These weigh 600 pounds when they come in. I even have some green ice in the freezer.”

From the unfettered blocks of ice, he goes to work on a custom piece with his original chisel, walking along the humongous slab, chipping away, seemingly effortlessly, to a near perfect beveled edge. You’d think the brisk air would be an advantage in this kind of work, but Ahrens claims it isn’t.

“A lot of people tell me this must be ‘my season,’” mused Ahrens. “I work wet, though. It’s one thing to work wet. It’s another thing to be cold and wet and have your pant legs freezing. Working wet has its advantages, but not when it’s cold.”

From the frozen water blocks, Ahrens has crafted a life-sized horse for the Quarter Horse Congress, a chess set for Abigail Wexner’s birthday party and even the presidential seal for a visiting George Bush. But these works, by there very nature, are impermanent. Only photographs of the art remain.

“The older I get, the more I realize I have to do something a little more permanent,” said Ahrens. “If nothing else, for grandkids and generations to come. They’ll have pictures of the ice. My son dabbles a little bit, but I’ve got a 10-year-old daughter who, provided I live long enough, will be an ice sculptor some day. With my whole life path, though, this seems like exactly where I’m supposed to be. Every time I’ve watched a young person take a chainsaw and get the feel of it, it’s a thrill. There’s no doubt about it.”

Ahrens will be doing live demonstrations at Oakland Park
Nursery, 1156 Oakland Park Ave., on December 4th and December 11th.
For more information and to see other examples of his work, visit www.heyiceman.com.