Hup Holland Hup - sand sculpture

The engineering marvel that is Hollands dyke system is pretty amazing. One third of Holland is below sea level and these great structures have helped the Dutch invade the open sea and create more usable land.

Water world

This sculpture was made for the 1999 Scheveningen sand sculpture festival by a group of Dutch carvers and myself on the theme Things that make Holland great.
I have to say I wasn't too involved with the design and let my local teammates decide on what to make in their own language, adding my own little ideas to fit in with the story when I saw fit.
The lion is a big symbol of their country and the control of the sea an understandable source of national pride.

The large lion symbolises the powers that be and all that jazz standing up against the sea as it grasps with giant hands trying to tear down the defenses. I liked the hands and the tension they had on the lions cloak.

Writers note

Many of the sculptures I am documenting from my early years of carving are not that great, I admit but I still want to document them here on the blockchain. Each of them have elements which led onto other ideas for future pieces. As I work through them I can start to see certain motifs developing in my work and style. I hope my followers will understand and continue with me of this journey even though what i show now is not my greatest work.

On the other side of the sculpture there was this lion on a couch completely unaware of the battle going on, allowing him to curl up with a beer and watch some TV.

I don't know who this other character is. If any of my readers have an idea please let me know below.

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Ps

Thanks for reading and for all the support I have receive from the community so far. If you are new to my blog, why don't you stay a while and see where this journey takes us. You can check out some of my other posts below.

Roman Empire - sand sculpture

Planters- wood working

I hope you'll join me again soon.
@ammonite