THE first thing that becomes clear as inventor Colin Frizell shows off his creations in his Colchester workshop, is that he believes his icy invention is not just for Christmas.

“This is a new art form,” he said. “It’s going to change the way artists work.

“You can’t make this type of stuff any other way – and no-one else is doing it.”

So what is it?

Well Colin, who has been inventing for most of his 59 years, has come up with a way of sculpting ice which can then be used to create a mould.

The process works like this: :: ice sculptures are carved and glued together into whatever shape or size the craftsman or buyer wants.

:: the ice is then dipped in a “secret substance” which hardens around the ice to create the mould, before the ice is melted away.

:: The mould can then be used, depending on its thickness, to hold any substance, Colin claims, be it resin, concrete, cement or even metal.

:: the substance is then itself melted off, leaving just the creation.

The idea is that the complexity of the designs that can be made are far greater than with current moulds, which are largely rubber.

“You can make complex things that you can’t make with rubber moulds,” Colin explains.

“It does not matter how complex the creation is, the substance will set around it.

“Designers can go mad with this idea.”

Objects using this method are scattered in Colin’s workshop, off Hawkins Road, and are largely intended to help decorate gardens.

Colin, who is about to move into a new home in Mill Road with his wife, believes the possibilities go far beyond elaborate flower holders and fence panels.

“It’s not what I’ve made,” he said. “It’s what can be made.

“There’s no limit to the size of what I can make. I can make tiny little things or something the size of a van.

“Imagine something so big that kids could play with in a park.

“I could do a copy of Colchester Castle if you wanted.

“I don’t see why this can’t be used in schools and universities as an art form.

“Everything I make is a one-off,” he continues. “When I’ve made something, it’s gone.

“That’s why it’s a craft – not a manufacturing system.”

Colin was born and grew up in Nayland before taking his apprenticeship as a plumber in Colchester.

Recently he returned to the town from Ireland, where a puzzle he made, which is like a 3D jigsaw with pebbles which must be built into a pyramid, achieved some success.

Back home, and backed by a doctor at Colchester General Hospital, he has big plans for his big idea.

Marketing has begun, a website under the creation’s name – wozice.com – is under way and Colin hopes to move into a bigger venue so he can create larger moulds once he has achieved some success.

He believes the work, which uses little energy and so is reasonable environmentally-friendly, can be simply taught and will provide jobs as a result.

“I’ve been working on it for four years to get to this stage,” he said. “I’m very proud of this invention.

“I want to get my name behind it. I’m hoping that other people are then going to want to find out about it so I want to franchise it.

“We hope to employ people in Colchester and have a much bigger factory running.

“If somebody wants to start up a little business they can make whatever they want to make.”