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Meet the Carvers!
The ice used for the sculptures at the Downtown Dartmouth Ice Festival presented by the East Coast Credit Union is specially made for carving. We source the ice from the amazing Ice Creation - the only producers of ice carving ice in the Atlantic region. The ice is frozen from bottom up to avoid cracks, creating a crystal-clear canvas for carving. They bring the ice to Downtown Dartmouth from Caraquet, N.B. in a freezer truck. This special ice requires talented carvers to turn the ice into masterpieces. Meet our carvers below.
Patrick Brunet
For 15 years working as a site manager for winter events, Patrick has always enjoyed supporting artists. Now he has moved into the realm of 'the artist' himself. Over the last four years he has carved for multiple events including Canada Winter Games and the Jack Frost Winter Festival. He is excited to keep working and improving as ice is a beautiful and magical medium. Patrick trained as a woodworker in Montreal and explored working in various blue collar employs such as carpentry and commercial fishing. By blending this education and work he arrives at a very flexible niche of designing and managing events and outdoor art installations. In his spare time he is an avid fossil hunter and enjoys training in JiuJitsu.
Richard Chiasson
Richard Chiasson is a renowned ice artist based out of New Brunswick. He also happens to be the owner of Ice Création Glace, who provides the 300-pound ice blocks for the Festival. Richard is a chef by day as an instructor at the culinary school, CCNB Acadian Peninsula. Ice carving started as a hobby, and he now has decades of ice carving experience. Many of his ice carving tools, he has created himself by adapting other types of tools, often ones made for wood carving. His experience and knowledge are intriguing, and he never fails to impress.
Darren Hudson
Darren Hudson, 7-time World Champion Log Roller, and owner of the Timber Lounge. Enjoys carving as a way to satisfy creative desire. He has spent time with top carvers in the world but will be the first to admit he’s not one of them. While Darren doesn’t consider himself a top carver on the world stage, he still enjoys putting on a great show. This is Darren's 2nd time at the Downtown Dartmouth Ice Festival and his performance will not dissappoint!
Chandana Kapila
Meet Chandana Kapila. Originally from Sri Lanka, Chan made his way to Canada and is now a very successful chef! Chan is currently the Executive Sous Chef at The Port Pub & Bistro in Port Williams, Nova Scotia. He is magnificent in the kitchen and with carving! He creates masterpieces on more than just ice, most recently winning Best Display at Kentville's Soup Fest 2023 in support of the Community Soup Kitchen. Chan's creativity and attention to detail makes for a fascinating show.
Rob Milner
Rob Milner is the Owner of Eternity Chainsaw Carvings and resides in Brooklyn by Liverpool. He is a multi-award winning wood and ice carver who exists to make sculptural art and is absolutely stoked to be able to participate yet again in Downtown Dartmouth Ice Festival for all to enjoy! We can not wait to have Rob's energy back with us in 2025!
Joel Palmer
Joel Palmer is the Owner/Operator of Swamp Bear Art. With close to a decade of carving as a professional, Joel has become recognized as a top sculptor. His work has been featured many times in both national news and magazines. Joel was selected to be a participant on Discovery TV series A Cut Above - a popular chainsaw carving series. Over the years, Joel has worked on a variety of subjects for his clients, and his work can be found here, there, and everywhere. Joel currently lives in New Brunswick in the small town of Browns Flat. Having carved with some of the best sculptors in the world, Joel strives for excellence and quality in all of his work. One of his favourite ways to create is in the moment, off the top of his head and seeking the energy in each piece of wood or ice to reveal its inner hidden beauty as it reveals itself.
Claude Roussel
Claude Roussel is an artist based in Prospect, Nova Scotia whose art is heavily influenced by the environment around him. Claude spent 12 years in Nunavut where he worked closely with artist Mathew Nuqingaq, who you can read about below. Together, along with other artists, Mathew and Claude built and ran a collaborative studio where they worked together to elevate their art. *Fun fact* Claude and Mathew were on the same team for a snow sculpture contest in Nunavut in 2010, where they had less than 24 hours to create a masterpiece!
Liam Tromans
Liam was born in Cape Breton and has been an artist since childhood. A professional logger for over 30 years, he began self-taught carving on his worksite. Liam gave up logging in 2016 to carve full time and his respect and love of nature is reflected in his works. He has participated in numerous carving events and competitions nationally and internationally. Spirit of Wood-2008 (Maple Ridge - 1st), Atlantic Canadian Chainsaw Competition-2013 (Fredericton, NB - 1st ), Powel River BC Logger Sports - 2017 (1st ), Eibauer International Competition (Germany - 1st ), Wood to Wonder-2018 (Gold river BC - 1st), World Class Competion-2018 (Hope BC - 1st ). Liam also attends Exhibitions and Shows to demonstrate and show carvings. He has recently returned to Nova Scotia and is based in the Amherst/Tidnish area.
NSCAD Carvers
NSCAD will once again take part in the vibrant East Coast Credit Union Ice Festival and are pleased to introduce a select group of students from the Sculpture Department ranging from Introductory to Advanced levels. These emerging artists join the festival eager to learn and push their practice with the unique material: ice. This event will highlight their dedication to material explorations as well as adapting to the challenges of working outdoors. Amidst the festive atmosphere, the finished sculptures will become both a celebration of winter and a public testament to the students' commitment to their craft. Read on to learn more about the students.
Lili Maud Dobell & Éric-Olivier Thériault
Lili Maud Dobell (she/her) and Éric-Olivier Thériault (he/him) have been a collaborative duo since October 2022, after meeting at NSCAD University while completing their BFAs. Both artists specialize in Sculptural works that call for the body to interact with the medium and found performance art to be a synergetic playground for their material explorations.
Rafi Islam
Rafi Islam (he/him) is a first-year Fine Arts student from Manchester, UK, currently studying at NSCAD University in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia. 
Elanor Jazz
Elanor Jazz (she/her) is a sculptor based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia. With a background in special effects makeup, Jazz transitioned into sculptural art through mask-making, drawn by the interplay between character and form. Her current focus is on reimagining metal’s inherent rigidity into flowing, graceful forms, a challenge that fuels her daily practice at the NSCAD metal-shop.
Abby Banko
Abby Banko (they/she) is an interdisciplinary artist and writer and is taking an advanced sculpture course this semester. They have worked carving plaster and clay in the past but are most interested in bricolage and using found materials. 
Kaspian Packwood
Kaspian Packwood (he/him) is an advanced sculpture student at NSCAD University. Kaspian is from Nova Scotia and hopes to share his love for his home province through his art practice. Carving and performance have always been a passion of his and he hopes to share these passions with everyone that he can.
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