Glacien - The Ice Portal

A frozen world of frost and snow. Crystals shimmer in the cold air and everything glistens under icy light

Discover the artists that have brought these ice creatures to life!

Over many weeks, these artists have dedicated hours towards creating imaginative, otherworldly creatures, all with their own personality and stories. 

Read on to discover more…

 

Another Dimension

Performance Group – New Forest Day Opportunities 

Imagine the freedom and creativity it takes to hold a vision, of a portal, to a new land.
Shapes, colours express themselves with a brush, no plan, in flow, seeing where that, journey will go… Something new has formed…

Hi, I’m Robbie, one of the instructors at Minstead Lodge. The sessions we run use play, creativity, imagination to conjure up unique performances, conveying community, connection, fun and joy.
This holistic approach gives expression to all levels and capabilities.

This portal is part of joy we share daily in our creative projects.
Let it spark your expressive nature to dance, play or ponder another dimension, outside or inside, that you, have yet, to explore….

Frozen Ice Creature

Sixth Avenue Hub – Michael

Sixth Avenue Hub is based in Cosham, Portsmouth, and have recently joined the Minstead Trust family. They support over 40 people to build their skills and independence through daily sessions such as Makaton, art, cooking and more!
Supported artist Michael has created this incredible artwork.

 

Glacius - the Galactic Gladiator

Jill O’Callaghan | Instagram: @Jillocallaghanart

Meet Glaciarius, he is a powerful guardian of his planet. Formed from ice, hard, sharp, slippery and cold to the touch, he can give a nasty frost bite too.
His only weakness is heat, so he keeps to cooler, shader places. If he breaks, the ice forms into another Glacius.
It’s lovely to be able to contribute to the Furzey Garden trails. I had fun limiting the colour palette to blues, for my ice warrior.

IceClops

Martin Roberts | Instagram: @martinsartth1ngs

Hello. I am Martin, an artist from Christchurch, Dorset.

I sculpt, make, paint, scribble, draw, glue, sew, film, record and interpret my imagine into a very fun and therapeutic activity called art! I have been lucky enough that other people have enjoyed my art besides me and I’ve been able to exhibit and sell my work. Sometimes I sneak a piece of art out into the real world to improve the area in which I am in, or just to have a bit of fun and share some silly nonsense! Go check out my instagram page to see the variety of things I’ve done.

This project to make IceClops – an alien from icey planets who loves strawberry cornettos – has been a good learning curve for me as I have never used expanding foam before, let alone in art! I love trying new things, and as always, it is really great that some of my nonsense art actually benefits people in the real world via auction for charity.

Ice Monster

St. Osmund’s Catholic Primary School, Salisbury

Meet Glacio the Ice Alien! Created and designed by children at St Osmund’s, Glacio lives on a freezing planet of snow and crystals. With glowing powers and a frosty shield, Glacio protects their icy world from danger!

Glacio was created by a brilliant group of SEN students at St. Osmund’s Catholic Primary School, Salisbury. 

Kate

Kate Garstang

Kate, 42, is a creative spirit who expresses herself through painting and the quiet beauty of colour. Living with autism and dyspraxia has shaped the way she experiences the world, often giving her a unique perspective that shines through in her art.

Silver, her favourite colour, reflects her calm, thoughtful nature and her appreciation for subtle beauty. Through painting, Kate finds both joy and a powerful way to communicate her imagination, creating pieces that capture her individuality and passion.

Spike

Kids Art Club with Shelley
Instagram: @shelleyperry_kids_art / @shelley_perry_artist. 

Meet Spike, a vibrant alien creation brought to life by our talented young artists aged 6–8 at Kids Art Club with Shelley.

Working collaboratively in teams, the children explored colour, texture, and imagination to design this bold character. They began by building rich, layered backgrounds using sponges and brushes, experimenting with different painting techniques. Next came an exciting printing stage, where they used found objects like cardboard tubes, paint pot lids, rollers, textured wallpaper, and stencils to create unique patterns and effects.

Finally, the children added striking details using Posca paint pens, giving Spike its distinctive personality and flair.

This project is part of our ever-changing art units at Kids Art Club, where creativity knows no bounds. Based in Southbourne and running every Friday during term time, our sessions are open to children aged 5–11. Each term brings a new theme and medium — from clay and sculpture to drawing, painting, fashion, textiles, and even spray painting and street art!

Kids Art Club is led by artist and teacher Shelley Perry, a landscape painter known for her expressive use of colour and light. Her work is full of vivid, energetic tones, with a recent exploration into neon colours that bring an added vibrancy to her paintings. Over the past two years, Shelley has developed a unique approach, painting with her hands instead of brushes. This intuitive process is calming and therapeutic, helping to free the mind from control and focus on letting go and enjoying the act of creating.

Shelley has exhibitions coming up this year at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre (throughout May) and at The Fine Foundation Gallery, Durlston Country Park, Swanage (July 21st–August 4th). She also runs adult hand-painting workshops for anyone who would like to experience this freeing and playful approach to art for themselves!
For bookings and more information, visit www.shelleyperryartist.co.uk.

The Ice Dragon

Bernard L Mathysse | Instagram: @bernardlm63

Imagine a planet millions of light years from Earth, so cold that dragons breath ice instead of fire. This is a place named Furzonia , the frozen plant. Here the Ice Dragon rules , so be sure to keep your distance.

Bernard Mathysse is a local artist who draws his inspiration from the coastline and New Forest near where he lives. Painting mainly in acrylics , he drawn to the light and colour in nature to produce expressive landscapes. The idea behind the Ice Dragon was to depict a mythical creature who may have existed in an alien planet and still does in our imagination.

Crystallus

Kirsty Cooper | Instagram: @kirstyc.art
On its head, there are spikes which can feel vibrations from miles away. It has scale armour and stripes of stardust across it’s body which shimmer brightly.
Its big, open mouth shows off shiny teeth, but don’t be scared! This strong creature roams the ice plains in a galaxy far, far away.

I’m a local scientist who expresses creativity through fantasy art. It’s a genuine privilege to add my work to this amazing trail and help transport people to different worlds through portals to see creatures like mine as they open doors to new and distant lands.

My creature is a design of acrylic paint, crystals, and epoxy resin to capture the different aspects of the harsh ice world.
Looking at its head, you can see a crown of spiky sunbeams. Instead of ears, it uses these spikes to feel vibrations from miles away. Its skin is covered in overlapping scales that sparkle and there are stripes of embedded stardust across it’s body. On its home planet, these scales flash like colorful flashlights to help it “talk” to its friends in the dark, and shimmer brightly in the daylight.
Its big, open mouth shows off rows of shiny white teeth, but don’t be scared! This creature is both strong and beautiful, roaming the ice plains in a galaxy far, far away.