Ice globes on display at Whole Foods Coop

Whole Foods Co-op member Walter Sipila said he wanted to share how beautiful water can be when it freezes into a sphere. So he created colorful ice globes and placed them in the flower box in front of Whole Foods Co-op, 601 E. Fourth St.

His method is to pour water into balloons during mild winter weather and let them sit outside. If it’s too cold, the globes crack. Food coloring is used to give the globes their color. At night, LED lights inside the ice illuminate the globes. “I was actually taking each one and holding it up like a jewel to decide where would be the best spot to place a LED light,” Sipila said.

“I just believe that co-ops are a good thing,” he said on the reason why he chose WFC to display his art. He said the blue stained glass on the outside co-op wall serves as a nice backdrop.

And are the globes organic? “They’re made with local water,” said Sharon Murphy, WFC general manager.

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