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Photos: Step by step with snowshoe artist Simon Beck

The snowshoe art of Simon Beck

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Liz Copan
  

London artist Simon Beck creates a snow art mural out of fresh snowshoe tracks on the frozen surface of Lake Dillon in Dillon, Colo. on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com

You can hear the crunching of the snow beneath the deliberate footsteps of snowshoe artist Simon Beck as he purposefully places one foot in front of the other to create visually stunning works of art in the snow. I am careful not to disturb his artwork with my feet as I follow in the shadow of his path, tracing his lines, meditative like a mandala. The calculated, labor-intensive process of each mural takes hours, even days, to complete. Eventually, it will all be swept away by the wind or covered with new snowfall; perhaps this is the message Beck leaves us with, beauty in impermanence.

Footprints in the snow alongside the patterns from the wind contrast with the fading light where London artist Simon Beck is creating a snow art mural at Maryland Creek Park in Silverthorne, Colo on Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. An Oxford engineering graduate and cartographer, Beck translates his passion for orienteering and geometry into massive designs in the snow. He will be creating snow art in Summit County through January 16.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
As the light fades in Maryland Creek Park in Silverthorne on Friday, Jan. 3, Simon Beck works on his mural. The high winds and light snow flurries throughout the day caused him to adjust his schedule and final location of the work.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
Carefully plotted snowshoe tracks diverge in patterns over the frosted expanse of Lake Dillon on Saturday, Jan. 4, where British artist Simon Beck is creating a two-day masterpiece in the snow.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
Simon Beck walks with snowshoes and rubber mallet in hand as he works on a massive mural on the frozen surface of Lake Dillon on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
Simon Beck unwinds the cord he uses as a design and measuring tool as he continues to work on an expansive snow mural on Lake Dillon on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
London artist Simon Beck surveys what he has created so far on Saturday, Jan. 4, at Lake Dillon. With the help of local volunteers, the design is expected to take approximately two days to complete.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
Simon Beck holds the carefully laid out plans for his artwork on Lake Dillon on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
Sydney Schwab looks at the plan of the mural Simon Beck is going to create on Lake Dillon starting Saturday, Jan. 4.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
Simon Beck uses measured points of a rope to create a series of circles for his in-progress snow mural on Lake Dillon on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com
Simon Beck uses measured points of a rope to create a series of circles for his in-progress snow mural on Lake Dillon on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com

Simon Beck is hosted by the Town of Silverthorne and will be creating art in various locations around the area from January 2nd through 16th. For the latest updates and aerial images, please view the Town of Silverthorne’s Instagram page.

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