Meet the Master Sand Sculptors

Mark Flynn

Fort Myers Beach Sandsculpting Festival 2008

Competition: Masters
From: Santa Rosa Beach
Bio: Mark Flynn is a long-time castler from northwest Florida’s Gulf coast. 1999 saw his first entry at a Master’s level contest in St. Petersburg, Florida. The experience was enlightening. His best results were the “Judges’ Favorite” at Seal Beach, CA, in 2002, and the Committee’s Choice Award at Ft. Myers in 2007. Mark has carved in Europe and various states, but has concentrated the last few years on developing his own contacts and business in northwest Florida. The last five years have seen a spiraling number of lessons, sand sculptures, team building events, and non-sand sculptures; enough to vow to do less in 2009.

"Amazin" Walter McDonald

Competition: Masters
From: South Padre Island, TX
Bio: OK... I'm famous in my neighborhood... it's enough for me... who would have ever thought it?... Sandcastles have taken over a large part of my life... since moving to South Padre Island in the early 80's (sittin' on the beach, staying outta reach) I have built sandcastles in 6 countries and 13 states... it's fun... it's exciting... come on down... I can teach you how... we can build castles together...

Suzanne Altamare

Competition: Masters
From: Daytona Beach, FL
Bio: Sand sculpting is my full time job and has been for quite awhile. Fort Myers Beach sand is one of my all time favorites. It is clean, white, free of debris and perfect for soft sand sculpture (sand sculpted without compaction).

I began sculpt ing sand as an apprentice to my late husband, Marc Altamare, in Daytona Beach in 1982. Other sand sculptors are my world wide family. At home I am merely a cat slave.

Jeff Strong

Competition: Masters
From: Tacoma, WA
Bio: Sand sculpting is a hobby for Jeff Strong, who works as a computer programmer for the University of Puget Sound. He began sand sculpting seven years ago after watching the masters at Olympia's "Sand in the City" event. You may have seen Jeff at events in the Pacific Northwest, on Seattle's “Northwest Backroads” program on KING-TV, or featured in Horizon Air's in-flight magazine. In 2004, he placed first in the semi-pro division and won the people’s choice award at the competition in Seaside, Oregon.

In 2005, his solo sculpture of a dragon devouring a sand sculptor (“Consuming Pastime”) won two awards in the Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition at Parksville BC – Third Place, and People’s Choice, and has circulated widely on the Internet.
In 2006 he returned to Parksville with the “Orbital Sanders” team, winning First Place, and Sculptor’s Choice awards in the Canadian Open.

He also won Second Place that year in Westport Washington with his solo piece, “Bathtime”, showing a mother dragon holding her baby in the tub.

Bill Cichone

Competition: Masters
From: Bridgewater, NJ/Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Bio:: Bill has won several amateur competitions in NJ including “Best on the Beach” and has competed as a master sculptor in the Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach since 2002. In 2007 he placed 5th in the competition for teams.

He does sand sculpting exhibitions and learning seminars throughout Jersey especially the PNC Arts Center for Kids’ Weekend. November of 2005 at Ft Myers Beach he sculpted a wedding scene “Forever Yours”. In 2007 and 2008, he won third place at the Monmouth Park Racetrack Sand Sculpting Competition. Bill feels that having a competition so close to home enables family and friends to see what is involved in sand sculpting and to answer the age old question “How Do They Do That?”

Katie Corning

Competition: Masters
Sculptor Name Katie Corning
From: Fort Myers Beach, FL
Bio: A full-time sand sculptor, Katie spends almost as much time on the road as she does on Fort Myers Beach, where she lives with her husband, John, and son, Wiley. On the island, Katie is an active force in building an addition to the Fort Myers Beach Library, where she serves as President of the Board of Directors. Katie has won numerous medals in competitions around the world, and is a featured competitor on the Travel Channel's hit show, "Sand Blasters III: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship.

A photo gallery of her sand sculpture can be seen on-line at SandMagicSculpting.com or FloridaSandProductions.com.

Lucinda "sandy feet" Wierenga

Competition: Masters
From: So Padre Island, TX
Bio: More recently she has shown up in the Travel Channel's "Sand Blasters: The Extreme Sand Sculpting Championship" (she and teammate Kirk Rademaker won first place in 2008); LIVE with Regis & Kelly for four days (eight if you include repeats); Ripley's Believe It or Not; the cover of Texas Monthly and in a full-page People Magazine spread.

A former high-school English teacher, Lucinda's specialty is instruction - specifically group/private instruction and corporate team-building exercises - and she has taught literally thousands of people how to build a better sand castle. (This winter she will be conducting workshops in Tasmania of all places!) She has written three books on the subject, the latest and greatest of which - "Sandcastles Made Simple" - has been published in both English and German and will come out in paperback in 2009. In 2007 she opened what might well be the first and only Sandcastle Academy in the United States: the Sandbox Inn of South Padre Island offers spacious, unconventional beachside lodging for individuals or small groups interested in acquiring or enhancing their sandsculpting skills.

See more of her sculptures at www.sandyfeet.com and www.sandboxinn.com or visit www.sandcastlecentral.com for sandsculpture tips, tricks and pics.

Brian Wigelsworth

Competition: Masters
From: Sarasota FL
Bio: When it comes to sandsculpting I'm still the newbie in this group of extremely I run my own home remodeling business so I have not as yet found time to enter as many contests as I hope too. But I have started a small professional sandsculpting company called Sandlubbers and have developed enough of a following that we will have just returned from a St Thomas Pirate Festival the day before this event has begun. "The only thing better than playing in the sand is playing pirates, playing in the sand."

Jim Richardson

Competition: Masters
From: Palm Bay, FL
Bio: What started out as just a fun day, playing in the sand at the beach has turned into a unique and exciting career. Jim Richardson, wife Sandy and 2 friends entered and won the grand prize in a local sand sculpture contest in 1981. But it wasn’t until 1985 that Jim’s career in sand would finally ‘take shape’. Through what can only be described as an act of God, Disney World called looking for a sand sculptor and asked Jim to come over and be part of the entertainment for a convention beach party. They somehow had seen pictures of the contest 4 years earlier and tracked Jim down. Over the last 20 years, Jim as won many sand sculpture contests has worked with other sand artists on large projects. Jim is the only adult on his street with a sandbox all to himself

David O'Brien

Competition: Masters
From: Arlington, VA
Bio: David O’Brien lives near Washington, DC and has participated in Masters-level sand sculpting contests and projects in the U.S. and Europe. He became interested in building castles out of sand growing up in Florida, which turned into a more serious pursuit when he lived in California. Many of his sculptures have featured educational or historical themes and figures, and occasionally involved current events or satire. When he’s not sculpting sand, David manages several research programs.

Dave Walker

Competition: Masters
From: St Augustine, FL
Bio: Dave has been sculpting sand for several decades and experiments with large arches and long flowing lines. He has taken his abstract style all over the country and won contests in Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and Indiana. He currently only competes at Fort Myers Beach. He has lived in Florida for 25 years and manages three lake and wetland restoration programs in north central Florida for the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Steve Topazio

Competition: Masters
From: Tiverton, RI
Bio: Known as the "Sandsculptor of the Ocean State" Steve has been sculpting for 8 years. It wasn't until entering a small ameture contest that he would aquire a passion for creating art out of sand.Steve has a fine arts degree so the creativity came natural.Under the guidence of 2 Masters based in New England, Steve learned the right techiques and elevated himself to a professional level in a very short time and has been competing at a Masters level for 5 years.The American SandSculpting Festival was always an event that Steve has wanted to attend and this year he has made in the line up.

Ron McDonald

Competition: Masters
From: Orlando, FL
Bio: I am employed full time with Walt Disney World as a production artist, I started playing at the beach when the waves weren’t righteous enough for surfing and am now working occasionally building in sand and being barefoot and beachside.

Karen Fralich

Competition: Masters
From: Ontario Canada
Bio: Karen is a professional multimedia sculptor who has been carving sand sculptures for 14 years. Her passion for sculpting in many mediums led her to a career in sand. She began her sculpting career at age 14 in a pottery studio in Guelph, Ontario in 1983. Then, in 1994, a professional sand sculptor hired her to help him on a small sand sculpture in a local mall. Karen was immediately addicted and spent the next 4 years learning the rudiments of sand sculpture while still working full time in the food service industry. In 1998 she entered her first international contest and by 2001 she was working full time as a free-lance sculptor. Her work as a free-lance sculptor includes many sculpting mediums including sand, snow, clay, stone, super sculpey, foam, wood and fiberglass for movies, television, special events, art galleries and print ads. She also collaborates with several sand sculpture companies in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Italy, Holland, Spain, Japan and Australia. She has participated in 62 sand sculpting competitions all over the world and won many titles, including the 2004 Solo World Champion of Sand Sculpture and also won the Sculptor’s Choice award. She is the only woman to achieve these honors in the contest’s 19 year history. To date, Karen is a 3 time World Champion of sand sculpture.

Michel Lepire

Competition: Masters
From: Quebec Canada
Bio: Sculptor of ice,sand and culinary. Owner of Sculptures Michel Lepire, Inc.

Culinary

Sculptor of fruit and vegetables, melon, pumpkins, fat, butter and maple sugar.

Ice

Since more than 30 years
Official sculptor of the prestigious winter carnival of Québec and of ice hotel.
Taken part and carry out several projects in Canada, America and Europe.

Sand

Winner of the World championship of 2003 and also of several medals and trophies
Since 12 years.
Organizer of the competition of the (International of Sand Sculpture of Quebec )
Since 11 years
Originator and artistic director of the project (Sand of Time ) at Expo Quebec for the 400 anniversary of Quebec.
Taken part in several projects through the World

A sculptor who remains young to play in sand

John Gowdy

Competition: Masters
From: Castelfranco, Veneto, Italy
Bio: John has been carving sand for over 20 years beginning his professional career in Fort Myers Beach in 1986. Along the way, he has won many national, international, and world sand sculpting competitions, the most recent - (the international supper bowl of sand sculpture competitions) the “Tournament of Champions". He has won the Ft Myers event several times before along with winning the people's choice vote. "I love Fort Myers Beach, I feel at home here…maybe it's the sand…maybe it's the bikinis…maybe it's the tiki bar…or maybe because most of my friends have retired here from New Jersey. John now lives in Italy in a little town called Castelfranco near Venice".

Thomas Koet

Competition: Masters
From: Melbourne, FL
Bio: It was ten years ago that Master Sculptor Thomas Koet first started sculpting sand in the Netherlands. He has since then become one of the most admired carvers on the beach. Fellow sculptors praise Thomas’ exceptional talent. His ability at amazing the public has taken him to places as far China, Canada and all over Europe and the United States.

His background includes a Masters degree in Industrial Design Engineering and he has been a lead designer for some of Europe’s largest sand sculptures.

Thomas not only sculpts professionally, he is also a very competitive sculptor, winning first place in many events around the world.

He is a partner in Sandsational Sand Sculpting, a world renowned and sought after professional sand sculpting company. You can see more of his work at www.sandsational.com

You might also know Thomas from the television show “Sand Blasters” on the Travel Channel. On team Sandsational he is a two time winner with first place on the very first “Sand Blasters” and second place on “Sand Blasters 3.” He is happiest being near his own private sand box in Melbourne, Florida.

Patricia Leguen

Competition: Masters
From: Saskatoon, Canada
Bio: Patricia is a professional snow, ice, sand and fire sculptor. Born and raised in France, she moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1983. She has competed at over 100 international sculpture events around the world since 1991. You can see more of her work at www.artistsincanada.com/leguen.

In January 2008, Patricia won the bronze medal in snow sculpting in Harbin, China. In July, she co-organized a 10-day sand sculpture event in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. In September, she competed in the doubles event at the World Sand Sculpture Championships in Harrison Hot Springs, BC, and later that month was a guest artist to do a fire sculpture at the Farhrenheit Festival in Windsor, Ontario. This is the fourth time that Patricia competes in Fort Myers.

Randy Harvey

Competition: Masters
From: Centennial, Colorado
Bio: : I have been competing in sand Sculpture Events for the past 9 years and always enjoy sculpting on the best natural beaches in the US. Living in Colorado offers sculpting in ice, snow, and sand, as we have the largest sand dunes in the world located at the sand Dunes National Monument. With dunes over 300 feet in height, it is a great place to practice. Most of my work is commissioned projects such as the Colorado State Fair, Rocky Mountain Wine and Jazz festival, malls, home shows and weddings. Sand has always been my favorite medium because of the detail that can be achieved in the finished piece and of course flip-flops instead of snow boots. I look forward to the great weather and competition in Fort Myers.

Matt Long

Competition: Masters
From: Staten Island, New York
Bio: Matt is the designer of Can You Dig It Sand Tools and creator of The Can You Dig It Sand Tools Super Deluxe Sand Sculpting Kit. In 2005, Can You Dig It Sand Tools were selected by the Parent’s Choice Foundation as one of the Best Twenty Five Toys of the Last Twenty Five Years. He’s been sculpting sand professionally since 2001. A woodworker and restoration specialist by trade, Matt owns and operates FRW, LLC, a wood restoration company in New York City

Sue McGrew

Competition: Masters
From: Tacoma, Washington
Bio: : It was a bright summer day 5 years ago in Tacoma, WA when Sue first stumbled upon sand sculpting. After a boat race for the local maritime festival, she found herself in sand pile next to a demo sculpture playing with the other 6 year olds. The display sculptor noticed Sue's enthusiasm and invited her back the next day to learn how to compact the sand. Convincing parents to excuse her from Sunday alter service duties, she returned to learn the magic of sand and was suddenly addicted. Since then she has carved in Europe, competed both in the US and Canada, and been on Travel Channel's SandBlasters III while finishing 4 years of college in Los Angeles.

Fred Mallet

Competition: Masters
Sculptor Name Fred Mallet
From: Port Aransas, TX
Bio: Fred Mallett was introduced to the world of sand sculpture in 2001 While living on South Padre Island, TX. Sculpting sand quickly became a passion. He has since moved back up north to the island town of Port Aransas on Mustang Island where he continues to perform occasional Sand Sculpting jobs for hire, but mostly just enjoys several competitions a year to both make money and find an artistic release in the form of a multi-day retreat from his usual busy job of teaching engineers to write computer programs to analyze massive amounts of data.

Meet the Florida State Champs

Buzz Smith

Competition: Florida State
From: Lantana, FL
Bio: N/A

John Corning

Competition: Florida State
From: Fort Myers Beach, FL
Bio: : Just another Chris Guinto wannabe

Ky Terrell

Competition: Florida State
From: Austin, TX
Bio: Ky Terrell, from Austin, Texas has competed in small team, family, and individual sand sculpting contests since 1999. He is never happier than when he’s carving towers, stairs, turrets, and dragons to guard the gates of his castles. A fan of sandcastles, his motto is, “Taller, straighter, and there’s always next time.”

Libby Bennett

Competition: Florida State
From: Sarasota, FL
Bio: Libby is a graphic designer from Sarasota, where she and Lara Hines team up in the local contest on Siesta Key. She enters a couple contests every year to keep her sculpting tools from rusting. This is her second year competing in the Florida State Championship.

Bill Knight

Competition: Florida State
From: So Fort Myers, FL
Bio: This will be Bill’s sixth year competing at Ft. Myers Beach and it’s his favorite event of the year. In early 2007 Bill and Master Sandsculptor Brian Wigelsworth founded Sand Lubbers. Since then Bill spends most of his time “playing in the sand” and being a Pirate, ”Pirate of the Sand” that is….

Lara Hines

Competition: Florida State
From: Sarasota, FL
Bio: : Lara has lived in the Sarasota/Bradenton area since moving to Florida at age 7. From an early age sandsculpting has appealed to her creative nature. For several years now she has been teaming up with Libby Bennett in local contests on Siesta Key. This will be their second year competing individually in the Florida State Championship.

Adam Mooneyham

Competition: Florida State
From: Orlando, FL
Bio: : Growing up in Southern California Adam had the fortune of being able to surround him with local artists and internationally acclaimed sculptures. Through experiences with team events along with several solo competitions he has been able to define his style in addition to continually develop new skills. Although he is relatively new on stage he is thoroughly excited and eager to compete with the best crafters in the world.