ARK DE TRIOMPHE. Eau Claire’s Adam Sieth enters his elaborate gingerbread works of art in an annual national competition. His creations have included Noah’s Ark.

Gingerbread isn’t just for Christmas anymore. Just ask Adam Sieth: For the past three years, the Eau Claire artist has been turning gingerbread into impressive sculptures and works of art. A real estate agent by trade who also paints with oils, he got into working with gingerbread after watching a story on Good Morning America about the National Gingerbread House competition in North Carolina.

Earlier this year, Sieth joined fellow gingerbread artists at his third Gingerbread House National competition in Asheville, North Carolina.

Adam Sieth

The Gingerbread House Nationals are a big deal among serious gingerbread sculptors, kids and adults alike. There are 100-plus entries every year, Sieth says. In the adult category, monetary prizes are awarded to placers, including a $5,000 grand prize. They also have a $1,000 “Furthest Traveled” prize, which Seith won at last year’s competition. 

His sculptures mix playfulness, originality, and a dash of humor. One piece imagines Santa’s summer vacation with a Wisconsin twist, depicting a day on the lake. Rudolph sits on an innertube while old St. Nick pulls him on a speedboat.

“All of my gingerbread sculptures have had some sort of water involved in them, but it’s not intentional,” he notes.

Sieth doesn’t limit himself to holiday themes. He draws on everything from Bible stories to swamps when looking for inspiration. Last year, he sculpted a gingerbread frog on a log. This November, he made an edible version of Noah’s ark for the Gingerbread House Nationals.

He has his artistic process down to a science. He creates color and texture in his pieces with 100 percent edible materials, including colored icing and Jell-O. The little figurines adorning the gingerbread structure are molded from gum paste – pretzels keep them standing. Each sculpture usually takes months to complete.

Sieth transforms gingerbread construction from a childhood activity to a grown-up art form. His edible sculptures put typical gingerbread houses to shame. We’re just hungry to see what he does next.