Sand Art

When Carlos was a toddler, he enjoyed playing in the sand. Sitting in the sunshine, cooled by the ocean breeze, feeling the grit of sand between his fingers and toes was the best part of summer for Carlos.

Young Carlos learned how to mix the right amount of water with dry sand to make the sand grains stick together to hold the shape of a container. If the sand was too dry or too wet, it would cave in or landslide. Carlos loved making sandcastles, decorating them with seashells and carving out wide moats around them. Then he'd watch and wait for the tide to come in and wash his creation out to sea. 

As years passed, Carlos traded plastic shovels and buckets for sand molds and sturdier tools. He'd fill large buckets with seawater and haul them up the beach. Using containers of various shapes and sizes, his sand structures grew taller, wider and much more elaborate. Carlos learned to mix sand with more water and dribble slurry from above to create fancy drip castles. More and more beachgoers began stopping by to admire his extraordinary creations. 

Now Carlos uses just his hands, seawater, and sand to create magnificent sand sculpture lobsters, dragons, dinosaurs, and other huge animals. He may add details with beach grass or materials that have washed ashore. Some competitive sand sculpture artists spend days creating their masterpieces. Carlos continues to practice his technique and plans to enter a sand sculpture contest next September.









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