Loading the filter I've carried fine sand from the low-tide line and dumped it into the plastic tub. It has shells, pebbles and seaweed in it, which are a problem in thin-section sculpture. The filter is made of heavy screen material and retains anything over about 0.16 inch. It also ensures that all the sand is surrounded by water so it can settle into the most compact arrangement.

Filtering sand I pick up the filter, put it inside the form and pump it up and down so the water inside will wash the sand out. Coarse material is left behind and falls out when I drop the filter upside down onto the beach.

Adding water About five times in the course of filling the form I have to add water. I carry two buckets down to the ocean, fill them and stagger back. The filter is inside the form; pouring the water through it helps keep seaweed and sticks out of the pile.

	Packing the sand Each addition with the filter puts another inch of sand on the pile. It needs a little encouragement to pack tightly, so I rapidly tap it with the long tamping stick. I repeat these four steps roughly 70 times before the form is full.
Go on to "How I Do It" text: Peel the Pile. Return to "How I Do It" text: Fill the Form.

formfill.htm 1999 January 17