Hill, of Akwesasne, has carved different materials all his life — he started whittling wood when he was around 6, got into stone carving at around 9 years old and sold his first carved piece of art at 15 years old. But as he carved a nearly life-sized replica of the Grinch out of an ice block outside Adirondack Decorative Arts & Crafts during the Holiday Village Stroll in Lake Placid Saturday, Hill said there’s nothing like carving ice.

“It’s like magic, really,” he said.

Hill comes from a family of artists. His grandmother and his mother made corn husk dolls, and his aunt did pottery. As a carver, he enjoys the handmade aspect of the work — he said it’s a niche artform because not a lot of people carve by hand. On Saturday, Hill swept his chisel over the ice intuitively, the shavings springing out and into a pile around his feet.

People stopped to snap photos and ask him questions about the carving as he chiseled the finishing touches into his Grinch in the early afternoon. Hill was given four ice blocks to carve at the Holiday Village Stroll, and he said he hoped to finish carving the remaining three blocks by the end of the day.

Ryan Hill, of Akwesasne, carves the Grinch out of a block of ice outside Adirondack Decorative Arts & Crafts during the Holiday Village Stroll in Lake Placid on Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)

Hill gained public attention for his work after he started stone carving on the side of state Route 37 in Akwesasne, near the casino. Now, he said he’s internationally known in the carving world — often he’ll meet carvers who already know his name. He said he loves meeting people and showing off what he can do, and he’s always striving to improve his skills.

Hill works out of Malone, where he operates Woods Edge Gallery at 67 Camp Road. More information about Hill’s work is available at www.woodsedgegallery.com.