Winter - sand sculpture

For the 2005 Dublin Castle sand sculpture exhibition we were able to create four sculptures with the funding we had and wanted to choose a theme with which we could each have our own sub theme but have it all still connected. So, we thought of things that come in fours and 'The four seasons' was born. From a hat we each drew our choice. Mine being Winter.

For me Winter is the turning point of the year. Everything dies off and looks as though it's at its end. Only to start up again when Spring has sprung. These are the things that inspired me while I made this sculpture.

I thought of a figure being denuded of it skin and flesh all the way back to it's skeleton and give it a direction of movement so it would be read from left to right.

Before I began carving I found that my block of sand had a major crack running through from top to bottom so I had to fit my composition around it thinking that I would have to make the base a bit more bulky to act as a support. I decided to make the figure have extra big hands. Visually I think this also adds to the sense of movement in the piece and the hand in the middle created a subtle connection to the other side.

On this other side I made a similar figure but, this time the flesh and skin are regenerating and the sculpture continues on until it connects with spring. The figure is reaching out to pass on a ball which to me symbolized some sort of lifeforce.

I will do a full post with all the other sculptures from this exhibition at a later date. I need to get a description from the other artists about their pieces first.

Here's me doing some finishing touches to the piece. I was quite lucky that the crack in the sculpture didn't cause any major problems and as with all these kinds of issues you can have with sand you have to try to make the best of it and work them into your design.

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Ps

Thanks for reading. I use Steem to document my work as an ephemeral Sculptor of sand, snow and ice, among other things. This will hopefully give it a new life on the Steem blockchain. Below you will find some of my recent posts.

Egyptian Scribe - sand sculpture

Mummified - sand sculpture

The upside down - sand sculpture

I hope you'll join me again soon
@ammonite