CASTELLI DI MARE 2001
Jesolo (Venezia) Italy
Text And Photos by Rich Varano
Copyright 2001. All rights reserved
About the artists of Alice in WonderSand and the
Masters Class Competition
Text and Photos by Rich Varano
Copyright 2001. Sultans of Sand Worldwide Sand Sculpture
Services. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Images of the worlds largest rendition in sand, of
the story of Alice in Wonderland.
Jesolo, Italy.
Professional sand sculpting is fun for all. Not only the people
who get to see the amazing and captivating works of art in this, the seemingly
most ephemeral of all sculpture mediums, but also for the artists and event
insiders involved at each location around the world. It has been observed
by those in the know, that sand sculpture events -at least for the insiders
that go on the world tour, are really just a good excuse for friends from
distant locations to come together to have a good time. (They
get no argument from me - Ed.)
Below (Left to right): John Gowdy, Pascal Murdock and Dale Murdock
Pavel Zadaniouk of Moscow (Below
center, surrounded by new friends also visiting Jesolo from Russia).
At 23 years of age, Pavel is the youngest carver here. But he is
a sand sculptor with serious credentials. Currently a member of the North
American Championships team winners, Pavel has also won the Zouchan, China
International Sand Sculpture Competition last year.
Pavel, a very
talented sculptor and 2-D artist in several mediums, is making his first
showing in Jesolo, and is sure to be a sand sculptor to watch in the future,
wherever he goes. He won his first Snow/Ice competition at the age of 12
years.
[Top of this page] [
Pavel at Alice] [Pavel in the
competition] [ Bottom of this page]
Damon Farmer of Kentucky, U.S.A.
Here you can mark the start of his sculpture of A Mad Tea Party.
Though his sanity is generally not in question,
he certainly does know hats. Also a World Champion, Damon is a three
time veteran of this event. Prior to being here, he most recently
swept all five awards at the Puerto Rico Sand Castle Mania event last May.
Having been a
sand sculptor for decades, it is no wonder he has amassed as many awards
in competition as he has. He has won the top honors at the North American
Sand Sculpting Championships more times than all the other contenders at
that event combined. He is also a prolific painter and a computer animator.
[Top of this page] [
Damon at Alice] [Damon in the
competition] [ Bottom of this page]
Wilfred Stiljger of Holland renders Alice in
the
Hall of Doors seeking a way home.
In Wifred's first showing here, he lends his unique pseudo- surrealistic
style to this already rather fantastical story.
Wilfred comes off a recent victory at the Luliang, China Sand Festival.
He has also won several events in Europe.
Like many of the competitors
and exhibitors here, Wilfred is also accomplished in other mediums. He
notes that he is slated for another International Masters Class event in
the USA right after working on the Alice exhibition here, but then
he needs to get home to finish a large commission of several paintings.
[Top of this page] [Wilfred
at Alice] [ Bottom of this page]
Alexei Diakov (Russia), has the
wings of THE GRYPHON well begun. He is here for the second
year in a row and is accompanied in Italy by his lovely -if rather quiet
friend, Elena (well, she speaks no Italian OR English). Though Exhibiting
on the AIW aspect here this year only, and not competing in the Masters
class competition, Alex is pushing the sand to it's structural limits.
Alex, with his other
Russian team members (Including Pavel Zadaniouk) won the teams division
of the North American Sand Sculpting Championships in 2000.
[Top of this page] [
Alexei at Alice] [ Bottom of this page]
Dale Murdock, a Canadian national living in France,
is here to create Alice's Evidence. The court scene
from the story. He is a two time member of the Team World Champions (Freddie
and the Sandblasters).
Dale is also doing commercial
sand sculpting in France now, and has an ability to adapt his work on the
fly as evidenced by his entry in the competition here, in his second year
in a row.
[Top of this page] [
Dale at Alice] [Dale in the competition]
[ Bottom of this page]
Edith Van De Wetering (Holland) Creates Drink
Me . Poor Alice is now very large inside a seemingly smallish house
-oh dear! Edith has worked on Massive sculptures in China, the Netherlands,
and now for the first time, here in Italy, but hopefully, like the rest
of the artists, not for the last time.
Edith is the life partner
of Wilfred Stiljger. And though neither she nor he is in the competition
this year, their great work on the AIW exhibit is very welcomed.
[Top of this page] [
Edith at Alice] [ Bottom of this page]
Dan Doubleday of America 'executes' The Queen
of Hearts "Off with her head! Off with her head!"
Dan comes to us in Jesolo fresh from his victory at Hardelot France
in the International Invitational
Sand Competition held there in May 2001. A multiple world championship
and international invitational award winning sand sculptor, Dan is the
current Solo World Champion. He is also a member of the current Cervia
(Italy) International Team Champions with his life and business partner
Meredith Corson and Sultans of Sand team founder Rich Varano. Dan is also
the only American to date that has won the esteemed Sculptors Choice at
the world championships.
Competing here in Jesolo
for the first time, Dan won the Peoples Choice award. Dan also worked on
the barteli and Coppi "Bicycle sculpture" with Bill Dow. Dan created two
other promotional sculptures at the hotel Corallo, as well as conducting
lessons for the public at the beach in front of the hotel during the first
week he arrived in Jesolo.
[Top of this page] [
Dan at Alice] [Dan in the competition]
[ Bottom of this page]
American Bill Dow renders his version of the
blue caterpillar in Whooo Are You? He placed second in Hardelot
just before coming to Jesolo. Bill is yet anther world champion that is
exhibiting here this year. In fact, Bill has also won three awards at the
World Championship in a single year while collaborating on the Sultans
of Sand team with Rich Varano. This is Bill's first visit to CDM.
Bill also did sculpting
on two of the other promotional sculptures around town this year. The "Bicycle
sculpture" with Dan Doubleday, at the tourist board offices. And "The Castle
& Fairy" with Sergio Ramirez, at the roundabout outside of town. He
did not compete this year, but was very involved in the workshops
being offered at the event site during competition week this year.
[Top of this page] [
Bill at Alice] [ Bottom of this page]
Etual Ojeda of Spain, (seen
below on the right in the background) has been sculpting sand for
decades and has won numerous International Masters awards. He hosts a premier
sand event oat Playa Las Palmas Gran Canaria. He is also a very accomplished
artists in other mediums, but is one of the forerunners of an emerging
movement referred to as Sandism. This movement is being touted in hopes
of having sand be more welcomed into the mainstream as a uniquely distinctive
and commonly accepted as valid medium of art. Disciples of the movement
are known as sandists. The Sultans of Sand support this movement and any
others that promote the art of sand sculpting in general.
[Top of this page] [Etual
in the Competition] [ Bottom of this page]
Mark Anderson -England. In his second showing
at this festival, Mark carves Alice and The Pack of Cards.
A direct descendant of the worlds oldest extant Master Sand
Sculptor, Fred Darrington (age 91), Mark is a full time sandman
who has competed in international events from Moscow to the World Championships
in Canada This year marks his second showing in Jesolo.
As are many of the
artists showing here, Mark is a bit of a globe trotter. But you can see
Marks work on the south coast of England at the permanent (and worlds oldest)
working sand sculpture display installation on Weymouth Beach. This is
where as a child, he began under the tutelage of his Grandfather Fred Darrington,
who has sculpted sand professionally for over sixty years.
[Top of this page] [Mark
at Alice] [Mark in the competition]
[ Bottom of this page]
Sergio Ramirez of Catalonia (seated) eclipsed
the field of exhibitors with
The Duchess. Finishing in just four
days. Sergio is one of Spain's premier sand sculptors, who has a distinctive
style and a flair for soft sculpture. He has competed in Europe and Asia,
and is on track to compete in North America next year. This is also his
first showing at CDM.
Besides traveling to
other countries to create sand sculpture displays, Sergi is also an award
winning painter. His wife is also a sand sculptor. A true family event,
here at CDM, we have an established history of married couples working
and exhibiting together on various sand sculpture displays. So perhaps
you may see Sergi and his wife working here together at Jesolo in the future
as well.
[Top of this page] [
Sergi at Alice] [Sergi in the
competition] [ Bottom of this page]
John Gowdy is a Captain on the Atlantic City
New Jersey USA Fire department. he has been at CDM for three years and
won the Masters class competition here in 1998. He has numerous other awards
including Peoples Choice at The World Championships. John also directs
sand sculpture events of his own. He is an accomplished artist in other
mediums such as painting, drawing and stone sculpture.
[Top of this page] [John
in the Competition] [ Bottom of this page]
The general public enjoys the captivating
medium of sand sculpture very much.
Here a beach-goer watches Edith wet down the sand with a spray bottle.
The site is centrally located at the beach near Casa Bianca, at
Piazza Brescia, on the Jesolo lido.
Come down and bring the family for this fun event that runs each
June, with the final festivities culminating in the third weekend.
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CDM 2001 LINKS:
********
[Alice in Wondersand Exhibition]
[Masters competition] [Workshops
& Lessons] [Children's
Contest] [On site CDM photo exhibition]
[Other CDM promotional Sculptures]
[General Event Information
]
[ 2001 Story/Photos About The Artists ]
[ CDM Archives of years past] [Sultans
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