Teenager recreates Venus sculpture in snow

A teenager has recreated the Venus de Milo out of snow in her back garden.

Emily Bates, 17, sculpted the frozen goddess in her Leeds garden when her school had an inset day.

Her mum, Sue Bates, said she was "completely shocked" when she looked out her window on Monday to see Emily putting the final touches to her classical sculpture.

Mrs Bates said: "She's amazing at art. I thought she was just out there doing a snowman and then when I looked out I thought 'why's she still out there' and then she had done this amazing sculpture."

The Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek marble sculpture on display in the Louvre in Paris.

Emily came up with the idea after creating something similar while studying for her art A-level.

She said: "I studied it in clay. I made the veiled virgin [by Giovanni Strazza], which is similar, it's just a face version of it.

"I like doing art but I'm going to study geography for university."

At first she headed out to make a snowman and snowdog but decided to do the 5ft 9in (1.75m) Venus sculpture instead.

It took her two hours to complete.

On Thursday, the Bramhope Venus was still standing but covered in a layer of ice, Emily said.

"The first head fell off, that's why it took so long and then I had to stick a stick in it," she said.

While her mum said Emily was very talented, the teenager said she usually preferred to make hyper-realistic oil paintings.

It's a talent Emily shares with her brother, who is studying architecture at university, but not with her mum.

Sue said: "I'm creative but I'm not artistic so it's very strange how they're so amazing.

"We've got videos and loads of photos. That's why I thought I would send it off because I thought it was too good not to send it off and show everyone."

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