Winter Carnival's Visual Voice
A tradition like no other, Winter Carnival is an annual tradition in Saranac Lake centered around getting the townspeople out of their houses and participating in some good ol' Redneckery.
Every year, Michael paints illustrations of the activities that take place during the ten-day celebration, including the construction of the ice palace, opening and closing fireworks, and skiing.
Most popular are his annual illustrations of the crowd favorite Lawn Chair Ladies, of which his mother counts herself a member of. 50% of the revenue generated by LCL prints are donated back to the group to help offset operational costs.
Starting in 2024, Michael began illustrating and creating an annual Winter Carnival sticker for the Ice Palace Works (IPW-101). These illustrations depict the many volunteer roles and tools used to construct the annual Ice Palace, the crown jewel of Winter Carnival.
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
The Lawn Chair Ladies
Each year, Michael paints a watercolor of the fan favorite Lawn Chair Ladies, who dress up to match the Carnival theme and perform in the annual parade. Since 2021, Michael has painted an annual watercolor of the group, and produces a series of 5x7 numbered prints.
As of 2024, a portion of all LCL prints goes back to the group to help pay for operational costs.
Annual IPW-101 Stickers
Since 2024, Michael has been producing annual stickers for the Ice Palace Workers (IPW-101), that build the ice palace each year in Saranac Lake. The stickers are FREE to all volunteers who work even 1 minute on the build, and $5 to everybody else.
2024: The Night Build, depicts two wall builders high up on the wall wielding tongs as they position an ice block at night. Night builds are less frequent than day builds, but are a special event that can feel like a private viewing party to the workers.
2025: Ice Saws, depicts the different saws that are used to cut an ice block from the lake. The first is a sled mounted circular saw that is well over 115 years old, which scores the ice roughly 10 inches in the shape of the block. Ice blocks can be up to 18 inches thick, depending on the winter, which means the remaining ice connecting it must be cut through with the help of an ice saw. These saws are over 7ft tall and require some elbow grease to leverage!