Ritchie Velthuis, an Edmonton based artist, has been a practicing his craft for most of his life. This commitment was rewarded with the distinct honour of designing a Homeless Memorial for Edmonton in 2011 which was collaboratively created with Keith Turnbull, Mike Turnbull and numerous community artists. The last 25 years have been devoted to exploring sculpture in various mediums including clay, resin, stone, cement, ice, and snow. He has received numerous awards for his ice and snow practice which include People’s Choice, Artist Choice and 1st place in the national category of the International Snow Sculpture Event at Carnival in Quebec City.