A corn field can be a canvas. That's why 42-year-old Brent Polson and his 75-year-old father Jerry Polson are carving the corn field at Boonstra Farms into a maze, outlining the image of country singer Carrie Underwood.
"I probably walk more than 15 kilometres on the day of cutting," Polson said, who's been creating Boonstra Farms' corn maze for 15 years. "It takes me about four hours to draw out, five hours just to plot it out on the computer, and more than eight hours to cut , depending on rain and complexity of the design."
Polson chose Carrie Underwood because she's set to perform at Winnipeg's MTS Centre on Oct. 15.
The work takes patience. Using a handheld GPS, Polson directs his 75-year-old father, who sits on a mower, through the field.
Each coordinate matches a map design he's already come up with.
"The worst part is relying on the satellite signals - sometimes they drop out and you have to wait for them to triangulate the position again, " Polson said.
"You need at least three strong signals for an accurate positioning, which can really screw things up if you are not careful. It could be the difference of the pic looking like Carrie Underwood or Pinocchio."
Polson said the highlight of his hobby is to achieve something memorable with his dad.
"He's always there when I need him."
Another highlight was when he designed a corn maze into an image of Brad Paisley and had the chance to meet him when Paisley performed in Winnipeg.
"He asked many questions and seemed genuinely interested in the whole process. He signed my maze designs and had our photo taken with him."
