Originally conceived as a topographical project to capture remaining traces of the last glaciers in Canada’s Columbia Ice Fields, Yamrus’ plans were thwarted by an unusually warm winter. Instead, the artist hauled enormous blocks of ice into his Dehon Street studio in San Francisco and began photographing them as they melted and cracked, often interfering with the natural process with tools such as a blowtorch and chainsaw. As with the landscapes first envisioned, the lines, shapes, and textures in Yamrus’ photographs are defined by temperature, water, and light.
