Wisconsin Artist Creates Short-term Beauty

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it gives you snow, one Madison-area artist makes large, intricate labyrinths.

As soon as Old Man Winter provides a canvas, Anne Drehfal straps on her snow shoes and gets to work creating her large-scale designs.  She walks an intricate route, performing turns, curls, and loops, creating designs hundreds of feet wide.

Now, you don’t need to be some kind of snow scientist to figure out that these works don’t last long. Wind, warmth and more snow can shake up the Etch-a-Sketch in very short order. Sometimes, it’s only a matter of hours before they’re gone.

But that temporary nature is part of the allure for Drehfal. She finds there is a meditative quality to walking the patterns. And as a nature lover, she views making them as a gift to a place that brings her joy.

It’s also important to note that he’s no one-medium pony. She has a background in organic farming and also creates longer-lasting installations using flowers once the seasons change.

You can find out more about her work on her website and Instagram. And you may be able to spot her next labyrinth if you happen to be hang gliding around Madison. But you better move quickly, there’s a rumor going around that spring is on its way.