Self-Taught Artist Creates Stunningly Realistic Sand Sculptures
Andoni Bastarrika, a multi-media artist from Spain’s Basque Country, has been getting a lot of attention for his ultra-realistic animal sculptures made almost exclusively with sand. Bastarrika has been entertaining beach-goers in his native Basque Country region for almost a decade now, but he only recently garnered international acclaim, after a photo of one of […]
Woman Sick of Mowing the Lawn Turns Her Yard into a Giant Sandbox
66-year-old Georgianna Reid, a resident of Kansas City, got so fed up of mowing her lawn that she converted it into a giant sandbox. She actually replaced her green lawn with 80 tons of sand, after contractors tore up her yard. The conversion cost her $4,000, including a low fence all around the perimeter of […]
Microscopic Wonders – Incredibly Detailed Castles Etched onto Individual Grains of Sand
Artist Vik Muniz is almost a regular here at OC. We first wrote about his art made from domestic and industrial junk in 2010. Then, in 2012 he was back with his recreation of classic paintings using torn magazine scraps. Now, in collaboration with artist and MIT researcher Marcelo Coelho, Vik has taken then opposite approach to […]
Minas Tirith Replica Made from Sand and Water Will Blow Your Mind
Lord of the Rings fan Joseph Alvenaz has created an awe-inspiring 10-foot-tall by 12-foot-wide replica of Minas Tirith, almost exclusively out of sand and water. Believe it or not, this was his first major sand sculpture. We’ve featured some pretty impressive models of Gondor’s capital city, including one made entirely from matchsticks, and one made from LEGO, […]
Ukrainian Artist Creates Incredibly Detailed Artworks from Sand and Seashells
Svetlana Ivanchenko is a talented Ukrainian artist who uses overlooked natural materials like sand, seashells, quartz, tree roots and tree bark to create wonderful mosaics that look almost painted by hand. Born and raised in Yalta, on the shores of the Black Sea, Ivanchenko was always fascinated by the abundance of natural materials that surrounded […]
The Mind-Blowing Sand Paintings of Ilana Yahav
Ilana Yahav is a world-famous Israeli sand animation artist who uses only her hands to create wonderful stories out of simple grains of sand. Her incredible videos have been watched by millions of people around the world. Ever since she was a child, Ilana knew her destiny was tied to the art world, and she […]
Indonesian Villages Use Piles of Sand Instead of Mattresses
The residents of three small fishing villages in the Batang region of Indonesia prefer to sleep on piles of sand than on modern mattresses. This ancient tradition that’s still practiced today for its supposed health benefits. Taking a nap on a sandy beach is pretty relaxing, but can you imagine going to sleep on a […]
Y Lan – The Lady Playing with Sand
Y Lan, real name Tran Thi Hoang Lan, is a famous Vietnamese artist who uses multicolored sand to create beautiful paintings. Her works are famous all over Asia, as well as in Europe and North America. Y Lan has no formal arts training and discovered her unique talent for making sand paintings purely by mistake. In […]
Brooklyn Artist Creates Magical Sand Paintings on Sidewalks
Colored sand, a great deal of patience and his bare hands are all Joe Mangrum needs to create his incredible sand pantings on the sidewalks of New York. Joe Mangrum was a painter for many years, but only started creating art with sand in the Fall of 2009. He chose to work with sand because […]
The Giant Sand Drawings of Jamie Wardley
Sand sculptor Jamie Wardley transforms beaches into canvases for his art, as he tries to send important messages through his giant sand drawings. Jamie first came into contact with the world of sand sculpting, as a young boy, on a trip in Norway. He met a sand sculptor who managed to turn two sand blocks […]