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 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 is 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 connect 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.
PS.
Thanks to all the new follower who have joined me and as always don't be afraid to criticize me for my work or posts. I always think that this is a great way for me to learn.
Starting on this post my images will now be clickable with links to higher resolution versions of the images. This is thanks to
@thetimminator and his great post https://steemit.com/photography/@thetimminator/tutorial-how-to-create-clickable-photo-s
Thanks again and see you soon
@ammonite
Really great stuff, all of the little details look fantastic. And it's good you were able to work around the crack in the sand and even work it into the sculpture. I think the crack adds something to the piece as well, something about winter and decay.
Thank you. Yes i agree and its one of the things i love about working with sand. I dont want to sound to arty but i think the sand has a big part in the conversation of what it wants to be. I usually dont design a sculpture beforehand and like it to develop as its made with all the different challenges and solutions i encounter along the way.
Don't worry that doesn't sound too arty at all, although I may not be the best judge of that, haha. But I think most mediums are similar in that regard. Even in the more traditional art forms, you might start out with a specific idea and a plan to achieve it, but you could notice something that makes you change direction. In the end, while the piece you were working on might still reflect your original idea, you've gone about it in a completely different way than you normally would have, and this can create a much better piece than you originally envisioned.
And then some mediums just lend themselves perfectly to an improvisational method of creation, they almost literally speak to you, telling you how they want to look.
Now that probably sounded too arty, haha.
Well said. I think it's very important to keep the creative process going all the way through the creation of the piece no matter what the material. Sometimes I am commissioned to reproduce a certain thing for a project. I then have to leave my creative brain at the door and just rely on the craft of sculpting which can be a bit boring.
Well I'm sure there are certain aspects of commissioned pieces that you can still have fun with. But, I don't know, I'm not really an artist and I'm definitely not a sculptor, so maybe the work that goes into reproducing something specific can be quite tedious.
As soon as i was the first image i was taken bank. You are extreemly tallented an skilled
Thank you @paulag.
wow. that's really amazingly done. There's just so much detail in it.
I always find it rather impressive how those sand sculptures are made.
Thanks @thetimminator and for your tutorial again.
This is beyond fabulous! Dude you are just extraordinary!! I cannot praise you highly enough! But I can and will up vote and resteem - PRECIOUS ART!!!
Thank you so much. I am also a film maker like yourself and will start to post some of my work soon.
excellent I look forward to it
Nice piece @ammonite . I'm always fascinated by sand and ice sculptures for their transience. How long does this piece retains it's integrity? It would be nice to have photos when it begans to be destroyed , specialy with this piece.
An other thing: i thought you could clog the crack. Sorry if my english is not perfect....
Yes. I love the transience. I also work in more permanent materials but have worked with sans/snow and ice more over the last 20 years. The sculptures could last a year if left alone but thos one was left for around one month. I could have patched the crack but liked when it became a feature of the piece.