Some people refer to Canada as the Great White North, while others call us America’s hat. In any case, the frigid Canadian landscape has served as an inspiration to artists ranging from Lawren Harris to Colwyn Griffith. Enter Gordon Halloran who goes a step further than recreating snowy mountain tops, as he uses sheets of ice to create unbelievable paintings and installations. His canvasses are massive glacial sheets, whose delicate and temperature sensitive nature attract both crowds and accolades.
Gordon grew fond of ice as a child. He would eagerly create hockey rinks in his backyard only to be disappointed when people would begin to skate on them and ruin the glistening smooth surface. Years later as an adult, he visualized entire rinks awash with planes color, and a zamboni as an etching tool. His works serve as abstract public art installations, and create a larger sense of purpose for arenas and parks throughtout Canada.
Given a Canadian Art’s Council grant, Gordon first worked with the City of Vancouver to paint a small community rink. He went on to paint the ice at venues such as Olympic Plaza in Calgary, and Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. Gordon’s latest project is a 95 foot long wall of ice (his largest installation to date) that will be on display in Chicago’s Millenium Park. His museum of modern ice will remain on display until mother nature welcomes the warm temperatures of Spring.