Northampton resident Dave Rothstein is a bigger fan of winter than most people. To prove it, he spent the last several days crafting a gargantuan cat out of snow--an 8-foot-tall tabby which he's dubbed "Feline Groovy."
"Everyone can relate to building a snowman," Rothstein, 49, said in an interview Saturday. "So it's fun for people to see something that's larger than life, that has a little bit more detail than what you'd expect."
An environmental attorney with the U.S. Department of the Interior by day, Rothstein has, for years, spent the winter months delighting his neighbors and other community members with various snowy creations. Two years ago Rothstein created an "igloo-bar" in his backyard, inviting neighbors over for free drinks and company. In the past, he has also participated in national competitions and festivals.
Rothstein said he discovered snow and ice sculpture nearly two decades ago when he attended a festival in Alaska and fell in love with the process. "I just fell in love with the carving process and the wacky little subculture of people who are crazy enough to go out and spend a week doing this," he said.
"Feline Groovy," his latest creation, was fashioned from nearly 3,000 lbs of compressed snow that Rothstein and his friends packed into a large wooden box. The box was then hoisted upright and the box discarded. After that, all that remained was the monolith of snow, which Rothstein then chipped away at with sculpting tools.
"Usually dry, powdery snow is the best," Rothstein said. "It's really, really condensed, usually."
Once finished, the sculptures are unique backyard decorations, though they may not always last very long.
"Sometimes they last for fifteen minutes and then fall over and other times they last for five weeks," he said. The longevity of the sculpture largely depends on the weather and how the sculpture was built.
Creating sculptures like "Feline Groovy" are labors of both anxiety and satisfaction for Rothstein. "There's always an element of fear that drives you and always an element of pleasure that keeps you going," he said.
Despite the occasional stress, it's definitely a long-term passion for Rothstein. "I hope to do it for another two decades," he said.