Contemporary Sand Sculpture by E. Ashley Rooney, Barbara Purchia

Contemporary Sand Sculpture

by E. Ashley Rooney and Barbara Purchia

Part performance art and part engineering, sand sculpture has become amazingly sophisticated as artists explore the boundaries of their skill with sand as a medium. Within a very short time, a sculptor can create an awesome, thought-provoking experience that will completely vanish after a few weeks. The photographs are all that’s left. Barbara Purchia and E. Ashley Rooney take you on a round-the-world tour of sandscapes showcasing a dazzling array of sculptural figures, forms, and styles. Behind-the-scenes interviews with the sand masters reveal what motivates them and how they approach their art. Todd Vander Pluym, the world's premier sand artist and president of Sand Sculptors International (SSI), shares a contemporary history of sand sculpture, and renowned international sculptor Kirk Rademaker describes how he built a new life around this ephemeral medium.The images of these art pieces will have you wanting to stick your toes in the sand!

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of Contemporary Sand Sculpture from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Contemporary Sand Sculpture is a fantastic read, especially if you’re a fan of the artwork (naturally) and would love to see some of the actual artists behind the pieces. It includes an interesting introduction, which explains the author’s perspective on the art (as well as their own additions to the style).
This book includes multiple artists as well as a small sampling of each of their best works. I never would have dreamed that there are that many sand sculptors out there, but it’s wonderful to see. It hadn’t actually occurred to me before reading this novel that there were actual companies that got paid for making sand sculptures (I had known that there were artists that dedicated their lives to it – but I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t thought much more on the matter), so this fact along with many others was mind blowing for me. I’m so happy I read this, not only did I get to see a lot of beautiful photos, but I got to learn a little bit about a bunch of artists I had previously been unaware of.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 March, 2018: Finished reading
  • 15 March, 2018: Reviewed