Icy wonderland a labour of love for Waterloo man

A Waterloo, Ont. man has let his imagination run wild, creating his own magical sculpture garden out of ice and snow. Ashley Bacon takes us there.

A retiree from Waterloo has created an ice sculpture collection even Elsa from Disney’s Frozen would be proud of.

“This is Iceopolis,” artist Robert Aitkin said.

Since 2019, he has been transforming his backyard into a winter wonderland, one ice sculpture at a time.

“I continually learn new techniques and tricks for making ice and find new shapes and just let my imagination run wild,” Aitkin said.

He reuses household items like milk cartons and food containers to help craft his creations.

Part of his method includes finding beauty in what is already there.

“Each piece just makes an interesting shape and if I think of that shape, look at it, what does it look like? A lot of them kind of look like mushrooms, so I make a lot of things that look like mushrooms,” he explained.

But it’s not always an easy feat trying to create an ice city when Mother Nature may have other ideas.

“I built it up close to the house and I learned that it gets too sunny there and it melted quickly,” he said.

The hobby is not only a creative outlet for Aitkin, it keeps him busy and brings him joy.

“I just started building this and it’s just so much fun! What can I say?”

For neighbours, it has provided a much-needed smile during these dark days of winter.

“It’s a nice way just to bring brightness into gloomy days. The nights are long, and so especially it’s nice to see it at night with his lights on. It’s so magical,” Tara Waugh said.

“He has the most wonderful spirit of inspiration. He’s one of those guys that just brings so much to the community,” said Robert Eagles.

Although the display is on Aitkin’s private property, he does let small groups check it out as long as they reach out to him on social media first.