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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n He thinks it\u2019s cool to travel the world as an ice sculptor, but turning ice blocks into beautiful objects is also a passion for Kevin Kapusi Starow.<\/p>\n While sculptures made of wood and stone won\u2019t melt, it\u2019s working with ice that lights his fire.<\/p>\n \u201cIce is like a living sculpture because as it melts, it changes, \u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the way that light will refract through the ice at different stages of the melting process \u2013 to me, that\u2019s captivating.\u201d<\/p>\n After decades of honing his craft using chainsaws, angle grinders and chisels, Kapusi Starow typically commands fees of up to $15,000 per job.<\/p>\n But members of the public can see his work for free when he carves ice live at the Frankston Fire Festival this Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n What started as carving Santas for Christmas in July displays at hotels where he worked as a chef has snowballed into a career.<\/p>\n Today, Kapusi Starow custom-carves pieces for weddings, Melbourne Cup marquees, TV ads and films.<\/p>\n He often competes overseas, sometimes sculpting all night in minus-40 degrees.<\/p>\n For the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2024, Kapusi Starow and a US colleague, David \u201cPablo\u201d Smith carved an ice dunny with a skeleton inside reading a newspaper.<\/p>\n At an \u201camazing\u201d festival in Harbin, China 30,000 people passed through a display field the size of Melbourne\u2019s Caulfield Racecourse, seeing the work of 1000 carvers. There were multi-storey buildings made of ice and a one-kilometre-long ice slide.<\/p>\n Kapusi Starow loves the camaraderie among the artists at these events.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sculpting community is a family,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you need a piece of equipment or help fusing bits of ice together, they\u2019ll come running to help, and you\u2019ll go running to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds that the creative and logistical challenges of ice sculpting appeal to him.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, he crafted a flamingo, and for another job depicted the Roman god Neptune riding a lobster and slaying an octopus.<\/p>\n He once carved a cow and a pig for a global warming action group.<\/p>\n Ice sculpting is an unusual occupation. Kapusi Starow says in the mid-1990s he knew of at least 20 ice sculptors in Melbourne, but now estimates there are only five.<\/p>\n He would like to teach the art at TAFE so that others can continue the tradition.<\/p>\n Asked what qualities you need, he jokes, \u201cinsanity helps\u201d, but says you need to visualise a piece and understand perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cBut firstly, you need determination. And to be open to learning from your mistakes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can learn the basics of sculpting ice, but then it\u2019s up to the individual to take it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n The inaugural Frankston Fire Festival is a free event on Saturday from 4pm to 8:30pm at the Frankston Waterfront featuring fire dancing, live blues and folk music, Finnish-style saunas and local food and beverages.<\/p>\n Frankston City Mayor Sue Baker said the festival would show that Frankston was not just a summer destination.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Cool](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/eedad0027c65ed6137439330ecf00bbfb2765ce8.jpeg\")
Cool career: Ice sculptor Kevin Kapusi Starow with a swan he crafted from a block of ice.Jason South<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2fb54eb1f42451a921d73bb6fb5a3f49b0d2a626.jpeg\")
A skeleton in a dunny reading a newspaper – a piece Kevin Kapusi Starow and a colleague carved for the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/8a7501968579e35dcad2daea880ab805fa5f7e56.jpeg\")
An ornate \u2018window\u2019 carved by Melbourne artist Kevin Kapusi Starow in 2025 at the World Ice Art Championships\u00a0 in Fairbanks, Alaska.<\/p>\n![\"Chipping](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7d0ebf8e2d128f208cea3c65dc574e29086908fe.jpeg\")
Chipping away: Kevin Kapusi Starow at work creating an ice sculpture swan.Jason South<\/p>\n