Spending a lot of time on the beach doesn’t have to be all about leisure. Some incredibly talented sculptors work extremely hard while enjoying the sun and surf in their own unique ways. Though these sand creations are often washed away by a wave within hours, indoor sand sculptures can last up to a year. With works from From humongous sand castles to wrathful sea sods, here are ten of the most talented sand artists and some of their most impressive works.
Dan Belcher
The detail in Dan Belcher‘s sand sculptures is so astonishing it hardly seems possible that it could be made of sand. The stature and solidity of his work has all the qualities of works of art carved from stone, yet all that is used is sand and water. Dan is the 2007 Solo World Champion of sand sculpting, and has created works throughout North America, Australia, Japan, Italy, and the Middle East.
KingSand
KingSand is a sand sculpting group made up of three sculptors who came together to produce some of the most amazing works of art ever created in sand and water. Dan Glover, Jeroen Meijer and Martijn Rijerse have traveled the world, winning numerous sand sculpting competitions. KingSand also works in ice and snow.
Radovan Zivny
Radovan Zivny is a Czech artist who has been sculpting with sand since 1999. He has participated in international sand contests for six years, winning several honors including 2nd place at the 2007 PNE International Sand Sculpture Competition. His near-perfect replicas of major works of art like MichelangeloÃ’s Pieta and Moses evoke all of the glory of classicist art in an ephemeral form.
Jim Denevan
Rather than sculpting, Jim Denevan‘s work with sand is freehand drawing – a process that involves a low tide, a long stick and a lot of walking. Each work takes him an average of 7 hours, and he often walks as much as 30 miles. No measuring aids whatsoever are used, and from above Denevan’s drawings look almost like crop circles. Soon after he’ through, the tide comes in and washes away all of his work.
Team Sandtastic
Mark Mason leads Team Sandtastic, a group of talented sculptors who work with nothing but sand and water to create towering detailed works of art. Team Sandtastic has an international list of clients including American Express, Walt Disney, Jeep, and Delta.
Be sure to check out page 2 for even more amazing sand artists
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