|
The Year In Sand
|
Form starts:
|
29 (#156-184)
|
Completions:
|
26
|
|
Hybrid starts:
|
4 (#152-155)
|
Completions:
|
4
|
|
Free-pile:
|
22
|
Contests:
|
0 (4 invitations)
|
It was an interesting year. It started with hybrid sculptures: short forms, with free-pile extensions, the whole thing being made in somewhat less time than the tall form takes. It ended with using the tall form but not filling it all the way.
Along the way I managed to transform 1998's excessively complex sculptures into works that took just as much time but used the time more effectively. Early in the year I made sculptures that had many parts but didn't have time to polish the parts. Reducing the number of parts allowed me to make each one better, and the sculptures became, I think, stronger.
In particular, I learned a lot about separation. There are many ways to make a sculptural element separate from the others: round edges, square edges, overlaps, shadows, texture, full cut-throughs. Each has design and engineering aspects and I enjoyed balancing these.
Late in the year I felt a lot of pressure to make my ideas come out in sand. Each time I went to the beach I had many ideas clamoring to get out, but had to choose just a few. I thought I could solve this problem by making more sculptures, so I started double- and triple-dipping. This experiment was a complete failure: making more sculptures simply produced more ideas, so I still have a logjam.
At least I was able to do what I enjoy: sculpture. What with spending more time on the beach I had less to spend on peripheral issues, such as reports and Web pages. This will probably continue, although if I ever buy a digital camera I'll be able to save a lot of time in making pages.
Free-pile sculpture continued its evolution. Now these smaller pieces are recognizable only for their different shapes. I really enjoy the freedom. They can be worked into the beach, spread out, leaning, added to. Design is design, no matter how the sand is piled.
Photography came full circle. I returned to sand sculpture through medium-format photography, but quit doing this toward the end of 1998 because it was taking too much time, and the camera was acting up.
This year, however, I realized I missed the high-quality possibilities of medium format. So, I replaced the camera in December and started shooting again. Actually, in some ways it's simpler; with this large, heavy camera I must use a tripod. This takes care of "sculptor's palsy" and gives me time to get it right, and also means slow shutter speeds are not a problem.
This does leave the problem of where to get Web images. I don't have a medium-format scanner. So, I need that digital camera.
There were no radical changes in carving tools, but support equipment changed greatly. My beach bicycle broke down with multiple problems; the lesson seems to be to keep bikes off the sand. So, I bought a trailer for my other bike. Now I pull the trailer across the sand and leave the bicycle in a more protected spot. This works well.
My bamboo tamper broke, necessitating a replacement. Until I got that worked out I bound up the old one with the lifeguard's first-aid tape and duct tape. Eventually my co-worker Maurice helped me make a new one from PVC pipe and other plumbing parts. This works well.
The box kite Rich gave me last year looked so pretty I thought it needed company. I got a delta, and a parafoil, locally and ordered a delta-Conyne through a catalog. Now I have a kite for just about any wind and can decorate the sky as I decorate the beach.
As usual, however, what I look forward to is making the sculpture. 2000 is off to a good start. I wonder what I'll learn this year.
|