Koet works on a sand sculpture at Brevard Zoo where it and a number of other
WINTER 2022: 73
sculptures through April. The exhibition, Life Beneath
Our Sea, features a dozen sand sculptures of turtles,
sharks, manatees and other denizens of the deep.
SIMPLE TOOLS
Tools of the trade are straightforward. Trowels,
palette knives and the like are all that is needed.
The sand is the key. Forget using beach sand, which
typically contains none of the desired silt or clay and
has been rounded by the tides and winds.
“The grains need to be sharp or spiky, so they bond
together,” Harris explained.
In Florida, this desirable sand can be found around
the glacial ridge of the state, in quarries such as one
in Winter Haven. The sand is trucked to a site, poured
into a series of frames and hand- or machine-tamped
until compact. A smaller frame is placed atop the first
and the process is repeated until the desired height
is reached. Frames are removed, top to bottom as
the sculptor works. The end result looks like a huge
wedding tree.
The breadth of talent is breathtaking. Under their
able hands, anything is possible, from larger-thanlife
sized tableaus of a Wild West bar to a forest full
of creatures or a scene of Dorothy and pals on the
Yellow Brick Road.
>> sculptures will be on display until April..
This sand sculpture of Florida beach life marked the 60th anniversary of Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach.