Artist creates Rochelle’s snow queen of the deep

ROCHELLE – Fran Volz can sculpt pretty much anything.

Volz, of Rochelle, competes yearly in Mt. Morris’ straw sculpting contest. His bills are paid by his work as a bronze sculptor.

His most recent work, however, is cast in a far less permanent material: Over the course of 5 days, from Jan. 3 to 7, Volz sculpted a mermaid in snow in the downtown gazebo.

“I was looking for a place with shade,” Volz said. “Once the sun hits it, it deteriorates.

“Since it was only 1 and a half inches of snow, I wondered if I should even do it. Usually you need 3 to 5 inches.”.

Rochelle sculptor Fran Volz recently created a mermaid sculpture in a gazebo in downtown Rochelle. (Jeff Helfrich/Shaw Media)

Volz has 30 years of experience snow sculpting for competitions in Chicago and Rockford, but this snow siren he did just for fun.

The recent snow made for good sculpting: An earlier mix of snow and rain created a barrier between the grass and the latest accumulation, which made for nice, clean snow.

His process involved packing snow into a plywood box coated in wax and making 30 15-inch cubes.

Rochelle sculptor Fran Volz is pictured here next to the mermaid sculpture he recently created in a gazebo in downtown Rochelle. (Supplied)

“I stacked them to her 8-foot height, then I start carving away. I use a lot of homemade tools as well as kitchen utensils and gardening tools.”

Volz came up with the mermaid idea after looking online.

“I love the human form and sculpting the human body. The mermaid was fun. It’s fantasy, and I can use my imagination.”

Go to franvolzstudios.com or find him on Facebook for more about the sculptor and his works.