There’s no art like snow art for Winesburg man
Marlin Miller took advantage of the recent snowfall to take a skid loader into his field near Winesburg to create a large script Ohio for passers-by to view. The letters are large enough that they can be seen from planes above.
There are many forms of art that can capture people’s attention. From oil paintings hanging on the wall to statuesque figures carved in marble and photography, people have the choice as to what they call art or not.
For one local man, art took on the form of a Bobcat and snow.
Marlin Miller, who resides on a 112-acre farm just north of Winesburg, took advantage of the huge load of snowfall Mother Nature dumped on the area recently, turning the hillside on his land that is visible driving down the hill on state Route 62 as drivers leave Winesburg into snow art.
Miller used a Bobcat to script out the word “Ohio” in huge letters in the snow. This unique form of art is so big it can be viewed by drivers traveling northbound or even by airplanes flying overhead.
For Miller, this art form was born from the simple joy of one who wants to go out in the snow and have some fun.
“I was really just kind of playing around,” Miller said of the Ohio artwork. “I just wanted to create something unique that would show up for drivers passing by. We often don’t get enough snow to do something like this, so when we got that big snow the other day, I figured I’d have some fun.”
The owner of an equipment rental business on his farm, Miller had plenty of options when it came to creating the art, and he knows his way around heavy machinery. He opted for a skid loader and set a course for the hillside on Saturday, Jan. 29. It didn’t take the skilled operator long to fashion the large “Ohio” on the hillside.
“It took me about a half-hour,” Miller said.
While the giant letters are easily recognizable as is, Miller said he hoped the weather would warm enough to melt the snow inside the letters to create a brown background of the field itself, which would only make the letters stand out even more.
As for this becoming an annual tradition, Miller wasn’t sure, noting it depended largely on getting enough snowfall to undertake such an endeavor.
As for why he opted for the word “Ohio,” Miller said he never really thought about any other word than the first one that popped into his mind, noting it was something he felt many people traveling by could relate to.
“It was fun to create, and I hope it brings a smile or some happiness to those who pass by and see it,” Miller said.
Who knows? He may have just created a new art form that could take the area by storm — if the storm is willing to cooperate and dump plenty of snow on the ground.