CRANFORD - Local and national news stations can't get enough of the Robert Schott's Abraham Lincoln snow sculpture in his front yard.
Year after year, whenever mother nature coats Cranford with snow, residents head on over to Springfield Avenue to see what Mr. Schott will create next. In the past, Schott has sculpted a Mini Cooper convertible with Thelma and Louise, Bob the Minion, Olaf, the surfer and the great white shark, and more.
On Monday, newscopters were spotted above Schott's residence. Stations such as CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox News, to name a few, all highlighted Schot's latest creation, a 14-foot snow sculpture of the Lincoln Memorial. But why of all things to create did he pick Lincoln?
"I have admired Abraham Lincoln since I was a child," said Schott. "My mom gave me a book then about him and the stories about him being an honest man have stuck ever since. Today I think we desperately need a true leader like him, someone who can act on principles and join minds for the greater good. This remains a continuing problem in this country."
Schott said his Lincoln sculpture was his hardest to date. For the first time in his planning, he decided to build a form to hold the snow. A problem in the past for Schott has been that when the pile goes up, a lot of snow rolls down, wasting time and energy. By starting with the 8’x8’x4’ plywood form, and then adding a 6’x4’x4’ form on the second level helped lessen those problems while also setting up the sides of the base and the chair.
Though his creations are complex, Schott says his tools are very basic - a couple of straight edge shovels to pile up and cut, curved snow shovels for lifting and piling high up, and a tree limb saw to cut away sections. This time, he also used levels to get the architectural elements right (level, square, etc.). Schott added that he also learned a new trick to ‘shave’ the sides of the base by using a long board and sawing down the sides to smooth off the lumps.
And as always, he gridded-out photographs of the image itself to study the measurements needed (in feet) to get the height, width, and depths right all the way around and for most of the parts. In the end, a lot of the work is working with his hands to shape, add, shave off, and sculpt. He wears a pair of gloves under heavy-duty lined rubber gloves to keep his hands dry and warm.
With more snow likely expected, residents may be upset to find out that the Lincoln Monument sculpture will likely be Schott's final this winter. Recently, he set up his oil painting studio again and is trying to get a painting he started in high school finished after all these years. Schott will be using his time to finish up some other ambitious projects he has in mind, but "Cranfordians" and others near will be left wondering what will come next winter.
"I am grateful that I can bring so many smiles to our community, said Schott. "The good feeling everyone gets keeps me motivated. This time there was a message as well that I think resonated in this awful period with the political divide, uncertainty and pandemic. I know the effort was worth it and lifted many spirits around town and actually, the world it seems by the messages I am getting of how the images are reaching people far away."
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February 10, 2021 at 09:41AM
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Rob Schott's Snow Sculpture Garners National Attention, Story Behind the Cranford Creation Revealed - TAPinto.net
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