New York native artist and entrepreneur, Scott Rella, started his first company in 1981-82. After many years of sculpting, competing, performing around the globe and more ice than he can begin to recall, Scott has given life to four thriving ice sculpting companies; Ice Sculpture Designs, Fear No Ice, Aspen Vail Ice and Big Ice Inc. Currently his quest is to create organic forms that capture the environment and reveal the natural beauty of the medium of ice.

At a young age Scott found himself in the arts, always dabbling with different mediums and exploring life as a musician all while cultivating a career in the universe of culinary arts. He honed his skills while attending the New York Academy of Art and producing sculptures for the Vorpal gallery in SoHo as well as several public art commissioned pieces around New York City. His work in marble and clay as well as a series of abstract paintings allowed him a release for his never ending flow of creative energy.

"For me it has always been about light, form and the quest to reflect the excitement and calm of a moment in time. As an artist I have worked with many mediums and favor ice because it challenges me to establish a relationship between form and negative space, light with in and upon form and the balance of the form, light and time. My ice sculptures live in the moment making their beauty tragic. They demand to be experienced now as the chance of next melts away with time."

His introduction, or abduction, into the world of ice took place when he was a Chef at the Waldorf Astoria. After chefing and sculpting in NY for 13 years he finally took the leap of faith and went out on his own to sculpt full time. When reflecting on his life in ice Scott finds himself grateful and humbled. He still manages to look young after a quarter of a century’s worth of ice…four successful ventures, countless TV spots: Ripley’s Believe it or Not, David Letterman, Regis and Kathy, Ordinary/Extraordinary, Food Network, Olympic coverage…to name a few. In addition Scott has competed in numerous ice sculpting competitions. His path has also included representing the USA at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994, Salt Lake City in 2002 as well as The World Championships several times in Fairbanks Alaska and Hokido Japan.        Click for Press List

 

Ice Entities


Ice Sculpture Designs: www.icesculpturedesigns.com
Ice Sculpture Designs opened its doors in 1981 in NY. This is the oldest and largest company in NY as well as one of the very first ice sculpting companies in the USA. Producing an average of 145 sculptures a week. Placing his sister Dawn at the helm to manage the NY and tri-state area business allowed him to successfully tiptoe away from this business 10 years ago in 1997 to start his second company, Fear No Ice!

Fear No Ice: Performance Ice Sculpting! www.fearnoice.com
To really make this one fly he realized he needed to trust two friends and two of the best sculptors in America, Kevin Roscoe and Peter Slavin. The rest is history. FNI, the first live performance ice sculpting company in the world, has worked along side BLUE MAN GROUP, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL and numerous other top Vegas acts. FNI is an entertainment entity whose reputation has grown worldwide. Nominated several years in row for Entertainers of the Year in Events Solutions, American Entertainment and Special Events magazines it has proven to be a successful live show. Utilizing their studio in Brussels Belgium allows FNI to ship ice all over Europe to produce large sculptures and offer live performances. Fear No Ice shows articulates speed ice sculpting and combines audience participation, comedy and drama…a very unique form of entertainment to be reckoned with.

Aspen Vail Ice: www.aspenvailicesculpture.com
Vail is now his home, playground and site of his third business called Aspen Vail Ice. Aspen Vail Ice began producing numerous elegant indoor and large outdoor pieces to celebrate the ambiance and culture of Aspen and Vail Valley in 2002. .

Big Ice Inc: www.bigiceinc.com The latest and greatest venture, Big Ice Inc., is designed specifically for colossal ice projects worldwide. Big Ice is a promotional marketing vehicle designed for organizations with a drive to make their mark by creating a legendary epic in ice.

    
  
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Triumph Winterfest


Winter 2009: "Conduit"

The Town of Vail's "Art in Public Places" and Triumph Development created Winterfest to celebrate Vail’s winter environment. Once again Scott collaborated with Denver based artist, Lawrence Argent to create the concept and design for "Conduit": a spiralling wall which terminated in a 9 foot tall conch shell.

See Conduit Photos

  

Implementation of Conduit was assisted through the use of 3-D renderings and cross-sections courtesy of Agrent Studios in Denver.




2008: "Verdant Meadows"

The inaugural installation for Winterfest, commissioned by the Town of Vail's Art in Public Places and Triumph Development was a tremendous success. Artists Lawrence Argent and Scott Rella combined their artistic talents to create Verdant Meadows. Inspired by the medium, the artists sought to create visually spectacular forms that relate to the environment.

See Verdant Meadows Photos

  

The “Verdant Meadows” illuminated ice sculptures are located in the Gore Greek Promenade in the Vail Village. The sculptures can be viewed during the day. At night as they are lit internally with colorful, energy efficient LEDs. Parking is available at the Vail Transportation Center or walk to the site from the One Willow Bridge bus stop.

“Scott Rella and I come from different backgrounds both in the creative process and the ends to which our diverse practices have manifested themselves. The process of bringing us together to the Town of Vail presented opportunities for us both to share and embrace our diversity and expertise. What unfolded, through our patience and willingness to learn from each other, resulted in the creation of a unique environment for the Town of Vail — “Verdant Meadows.” I believe our work together has forged a relationship in which the products of our endeavors strike a presence that can illuminate and stimulate.”
      — Lawrence Argent, November, 25, 2007




www.scottrella.com 2009