Snow artist creates giant octopus in Greenfield

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Snow octopus

Rick Horton, known as “the snow artist” on social media, has unveiled his latest creation in Greenfield, Indiana. After 15 hours of work, Horton completed a giant octopus sculpture that covers most of his yard at South State Street and Forest Avenue. Horton chose an octopus because he wanted something that would cover a lot of ground and give people more to look at.

He had an idea for this winter but had to wait nearly two months before enough snow fell to work with. About seven inches of snow fell in Greenfield Sunday and Monday. The timing of the snowfall forced Horton into working on his sculpture after work.

As it took shape in his yard, he asked those who watched the process not to share pictures, to keep the suspense going. Wednesday night, he posted the photos to Facebook, noting it took about 15 hours of work, including a paint job to bring the octopus to life. “I just finished it at 8:30 this evening.

Giant octopus captivates Greenfield residents

I spent about 15 hours on this thing! It was a lot of work, more than I expected, but after two seasons without enough snow to build anything, I figure it was worth it to go all out with this one,” Horton posted. Horton’s work has built anticipation around Greenfield for decades after significant snowfalls.

He created his first snow sculpture, a larger-than-life bust of Homer Simpson, in 1997. Other notable works include a pair of bald eagles in 2019 and a rattlesnake that slithered across his lawn in 2010. As people stroll by, they stop in their tracks, drawn in by the captivating octopus sculpture.

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Debbie Kirk said, “I love all of the details and when you look at the tentacles, they are so detailed. I think it’s awesome.” Christian Greece added, “It’s amazing. I don’t know how a man stands out in the cold and does that all the time.”

Horton mentioned that he will have to cover up the octopus sculpture Friday due to more incoming snow.

However, he has proven that snow can inspire beauty rather than just inconvenience, and his latest creation is sure to be admired by many in the community.

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