KENT, Wash. — There is ice outside this time of year but there is also ice in the workshop of Steve Cox, owner of Creative Ice.
Cox began his career in the kitchen and eventually found that ice carving was his passion. "Once I put my hands on the ice I realized wow there's something there."
Ice carving has been around for hundreds of years and Cox still uses some of the same tools today. While the chainsaw is his main tool, the chisels he uses were made the same way Japanese samurai swords were.
This is the busiest time of year for Cox due to the high demand for ice. "The first two weeks in December are when all the holiday corporate parties are and it's just crazy. We do a lot of work with the Mariners, the Seahawks and social networking companies."
Orders are typically done from a 2-foot by 2-foot cube and Steve will carve whatever your imagination desires. "The sky's the limit."
Some orders can be a lot bigger than others, however. Steve once did a dragon sculpture that was eight feet long!
The obvious thing about an ice sculpture is that at the end of the night, it's gone. Cox says he isn't bothered to know his hard work will disappear shortly after finishing. "Once we have delivered it and installed the piece and the customer is happy, we just walk away. We look at it and take a picture and then it's done."
Steve gets satisfaction out of knowing that the work he does brings joy to people. "There's just something about ice and humans, I cant explain it but they're attracted to ice. Our product makes people smile and they completely enjoy it. We're very happy about that."
After 35 years, Steve plans to retire this year and the business will go to his son, Justin.
Creative Ice | 19428 66th Ave S #105, Kent, WA 98032 | (425) 251-0535
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