This was my third and final time in Harrison Hot springs, Canada. I had decided to return and try with our team to win 1st place (for the laugh) My last two times we had won won 4th then 3rd and I felt we were working our way up so, this year we were shooting for 2nd. I didn't really enjoy the contest as it was more of a race and not really conducive to the creation of art but, It was nice to get the band back together. In my last post I showed the doubles piece Edith and myself made which I really liked but for the 5 Team piece it was a disaster.
Shit happens
I get asked now and again if any of my sculptures fall down while I am making them and the answer is of course yes. I am working with sand after all and every sand has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some are super for making details while others are great for structure. Finding the perfect one is a continual search all around the world. In Harrison the sand varies all over the beach and it is the luck of the draw where you will get to make your sculpture. For this piece we were landed in an area where we called the sand 'Salt and pepper' It was perfectly clean of any slit, which is the thing that gives it strength and the grains are a collection of dark and light in colour which seem to not get on well together. bloody racists.
Having spent a day working like the clappers to compact we had 3 large blocks standing 8 ft tall. (that's around 5 cubits for my ancient Egyptian readers. 2.4 meters for everyone else who believe in science).
Our idea was to beat the American carvers at their own game and make a scene like a stage set. We had seen the winners of previous years before create a camping scene, a saloon and a garage and so we had an idea to make a sculptor at work in his workshop.
What goes up must come down
Alas it was not to be. The next day when opening the forms each of our blocks crumbled to the ground, not leaving much for our master plan so, we had to regroup and try to come up with a different solution.
Our idea now was to make the whole thing a bit more free form and play with the idea that a sculptor is in his studio trying to make a piece while around him are his dreams of what he wished he had the talent to make. (This was autobiographical, it seemed)
As he worked on his goofy sculpture all round him a bits a piece of classic style work growing out of a bubbly mess.
Try as we did I don't think we achieved anything we set out to do and the whole piece looked a big mess. You win some you lose some.
Closing the book
I didn't go back the next year and that was mainly because they stopped doing the competition but to be honest I was getting a bit tired of working so hard for a prize I didn't really want. Who wants to be world champion of a contest where most of those who I think are the best sculptors wouldn't bother going?
Time for a rest
Anywho, after the project a few of use decided to take a bit of a holiday in Canada. We visited some friends in Nelson and had a great time in the wonderful landscape.
We did a lot of driving, This is sure a big country and even though it was summer at sea level the mountains didn't seem to get the memo.
We took a picture to show the folks back home how cool we were
and enjoyed some of the local produce.
I thought I better pad this post out with some nicer images than those I got of the sculpture.
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.
Terraform - sand sculpture
The Five Senses - sand sculpture- timelapse
The Five Senses - documentary
I hope you'll join me again soon
@ammonite