Snowflake Preservation
Each snowflake is captured one by one! When snowfall begins, we setup and wait.
Temperatures must be freezing for snowflakes to form dendrites. Collection is a race against time!
I keep my art studio at freezing temperatures, but light, movement, or ambient heat can damage the snow crystal.
I find a paint brush is the best extension of my fingers to manipulate things!
Our favorite snowflakes are chosen and transferred onto microscope slides for the preservation and curing process to begin.
Based off polymerization, using chemical reaction to change the molecules from liquid to solid in essence.
Like minded individuals have been creating slides and imprints with superglue, hairspray and various other household products for years!
The human mind is truly a beautiful place.
We have created our own process that works well for what we love creating.
The snowflake is placed onto the slide and cure resin dropped on top.
The chemical reaction begins immediately, and another slide needs to be placed over to prevent curling!
This is the point where the process becomes very fragile and is make or break.
The snowflakes are then careful put into deep freeze and allowed to cure for several weeks.
When the time is right, we harvest the snowflake and use various setting processes to create unique works.
"The wonders and beauties of snow,"
Wilson Bentley wrote: "The snow crystals ... come to us not only to reveal the wondrous beauty of the minute in nature,
but to teach us that all earthly beauty is transient and must soon fade away.
But though the beauty of the snow is evanescent, like the beauties of the autumn, as of the evening sky, it fades but to come again."