Sculptor Don Greer ready to quit ice sculpting at 70

Retired architect and ice sculptor Don Greer turns 70 next week. "It's time to quit," he said.

Don Greer has made nearly 55 ice sculptures over the last 52 years. The retired architect will be 70 next week.

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"It's time to quit," he said.

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His first sculpture was a simple North Pole outside his parents’ Saskatoon house in 1971 — a rolled-up sheet of chicken wire with lights inside, covered in ice. He continued to do sculptures to accompany his dad's decorations, and they won a home lighting contest a few years later.

"Kiwanis used to have a contest that people used to receive an award for, and we won it in ’74," he said.

At his current home on King Crescent, Greer started doing sculptures more regularly in 1996. He expanded to Resurrection Lutheran Church in 2002, and St. Paul's Co-Cathedral and the Nutrien Wintershines Festival in 2019.

This year, he plans to complete four sculptures — three before Christmas and one for Wintershines in February.

Outside the two churches, he will revisit some old favourites. He is currently working on a scene with shepherds and an angel for Resurrection and a 30-foot series of panels from the last three years for St. Paul's.

Outside his home, Greer will have a new sculpture showcasing Snoopy's Christmas, with Snoopy on his doghouse and the Red Baron flying in from behind.

"It's based on the song by the Royal Guardsmen (Snoopy vs the Red Baron)… It's an old favourite song of mine — I love the sound of the song, so it's kind of close to my heart," he said.

For his 55th and final sculpture, Greer plans a crystal display for Wintershines. Dedicated to his 12-year-old granddaughter, the sculpture will be a deviation from his usual process.

"I’m not going to use the wood armature, I’m just going to use the wire mesh. And hopefully they’ll come out more crystal clear, if I can use that pun," he said with a laugh.

Most of his sculptures begin with a frame made of wood and chicken wire netting, with steel wire for shaping finer details. He sets up the frame and sprays it with a fine mist from a garden hose until an inch of ice has formed. For final touches, he uses wood chisels, then sprays it one last time.

The idea of using chicken wire for the ice came from his father, who had worked on telephone wires. Greer learned that ice would build up on the wires during ice storms — which his dad dreaded.

"I used what I knew my father didn't like to build what I wanted to build," he said.

One of his favourite sculptures over the years was also the one that took the most work. Created in four pieces, the ice blossom he made for Wintershines in 2021 stood 16 feet high and 30 feet across.

"My ice blossom … was always a dream that I had — of doing a big flower," he said. "It was just an incredible piece, and I had some great help on that one."

One thing he will miss is the response from the public, and knowing they look forward to his work, he said.

"That's been fantastic. The cards and the letters, that's the most touching … Can't say much more than thank you, thank you, thank you."

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