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Sand art encompasses several ways of working with sand, from building three-dimensional forms to creating temporary images or fixing coloured grains onto a surface. What connects these practices is a direct engagement with the material: its grain, weight and movement. Handling, pouring and shaping sand can be satisfying in itself, making the sensory experience part of the creative process. Different Ways of Working with Sand
In sand bottles, coloured grains are arranged in layers to create patterns or pictures visible through the glass.  Sand painting builds images on a flat surface, either with loose grains for temporary compositions or with sand fixed in place—the approach I use in my practice. Sand Painting and Sunae In Japanese, sunae means “sand picture”. The artist Naoshi uses this term to describe her work with brightly coloured sand, creating imaginary characters and scenes. Her practice offers one example of how this material can support a distinctive artistic language. Although the general principle of applying sand to an adhesive surface is similar to the one I use, sharing a material does not mean creating the same kind of image. The choice of colours, their distribution and the relationship between areas can lead to very different results.  Peacock's Eye Pattern in sand My Approach to Sand Painting with sand raises many of the same questions as painting with oil, but the grains remain distinct even when their colours are combined. I work with these particles to create mixtures and gradients, allowing details to be suggested rather than sharply defined. There is an affinity with pointillism in the way small elements of colour are perceived together, and with Impressionism in the emphasis on an overall impression rather than a precise rendering of every detail. From a distance, the grains come together as an image; close up, their individual colours and textures remain visible.
To read about how I first discovered sand painting and began experimenting with it, visit Discovering Sand Art.
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Stamp Drawers and SandIn one of our many visits to the local car boot sale, I discovered the old stamp drawers. The demise of letterpress printing, (the standard method of printing for decades https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterpress_printing) has behind lots of unwanted beautiful drawers in which letter stamps have been categorized and stored. I fell in love with these old and beautiful drawers. A lady offered me a bag full of stamp drawers of different sizes for £30. I couldn’t miss that bargain! The framing of the Mister View artwork, gave me the idea to use these stamp drawers as frames, with the advantage that they have depth. The drawers are 1 1/2 inch deep approx, so I could place an image in each compartment at different depths to give a more 3D effect. For my first painting in a stamp drawer, I chose an image of cherry blossoms and the River Hudson (NY). I love cherry blossoms and water reflections and this image had both. Discovering Sand ArtSand art, painting with sand. This is the first sand art drawing that I painted with my daughter's help in a toddler's party the day that I discovered Sand Art. I discovered sand art at a toddler party. https://sales.kidsbeehappy.com/ The children were given a drawing on yellow sticky paper where the outlines of the picture were already partially cut out. Peeling off sections from the surface of the sticky paper, the children could then apply different colors of sand to each area exposed. Basically, the same stick-on peel-off method that I was using to stencil on my tables (see painted-tables.html) This process was so satisfying in a sensory way, feeling the texture of the sand and the velvety surface of the drawing, that I needed to explore it more! I started experimenting using sand on paper with glue but it didn’t give the same smooth finish and clear outline. The glue would leave trails and an uneven finish. The sticky paper was crucial! So I bought A4 sticky printer paper (without cutout). This worked but the paper was too thin. It needed to be glued to a card with a special adhesive to prevent a lumpy surface. For the colored sand, I searched the web for a broad palette of interesting colors. There is a method of coloring sand with finely grated pastel colors but this type of sand leaves a residue and it is difficult to obtain intense hues with this method. Shopping around, I discovered that the wedding industry uses colored sand for decorative purposes. From these sources, I bought sand in small quantities of 0.5mm and 0.2mm.  Acer leaf painted with sand art. There is little control over the sand when it is applied to the paper. For this reason, it is necessary to peel off the sticky paper slowly, bit by bit, to control the area you want to color. Otherwise the colors may mix.
I drew on the prepared paper and cut off the surface, piece by piece, according to each color that I chose to use. In this way, the sand sticks to the uncovered area. As with the table's stencils, it is important to control the depth of the cut that the knife makes otherwise you will cut right through the paper. The “View of York Minster” is my first artwork using this technique. I wanted to give the impression that the viewer is looking through a window and so I chose “a window frame”. I also assumed it would be easy to work within the sections of the frame. |
