Views of the Neighborhood

~ John W. Howell

Last week I ran a preview to the Texas SandFest and promised more pictures this week. I have to provide a little disclaimer. Since my deadline for posting for Sunday is Saturday, I had to be satisfied with the sculptures state of readiness.  The artists have until Sunday noon to finish their work for judging. You will get an idea of the work even though they are unfinished at this time.

This first photo is of the sculpture honoring our military personnel.

Texas SandFest

Here is a closer look at the work.

The heart reads “Thank you Troops and Vets” with a subscript saying “military smiles.”

Here is a shot of the finished side honoring those who fell in the Texas Revolution

The fourth side of the honor piece is a tribute to the Alamo and the people who lost their lives.

There is also a huge sculpture recognizing the sponsors of SandFest

The next photo shows three of the Master exhibits under construction.

The next is an artist at work

Hard to miss the beginning of a hound dog. You can make out his face and crossed paws.

Pictured are three more under construction. It is interesting to see how the sculptures are built with the help of barrels.

takes a lot of water to keep the sand wet.

More construction

This photo shows how the artists work from middle to outside on bigger pieces.

The Story Reading Ape should like this one.

Here is a good example of building a sculpture on a wooden base.

Another using a barrel

Since last week I showed you the food trucks in a state of repose. I thought it would be fun to see one of them in their full costume.

The final shot gives you an idea of the number of vendors there are on site.

63 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood”

  3. Their talent is amazing. I don’t know how they put so much of themselves into a piece that will easily succumb to a spring shower. Those food trucks immediately reminded me of carnivals and Coney Island!!

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  5. Stunning display… There must be a story behind each sculpture. And, I can’t help but wonder if their artistry began with building little castles at the water’s edge…. 🙂

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  8. Happy Sunday, John. It was really interesting to see the partially complete sculptures; to see some of the process.
    Do you mean there are actually trucks somewhere under all that decoration? Either way I have a sudden yen for junk food… 😀 Thanks for another delightful neighborhood stroll. Mega hugs.

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  10. It’s astonishing how they can do this with sand. Just blows me away. I’ve been looking forward to this post John. Thank you so much for sharing these with us!

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  12. What a cool event. Seems your corner of the world does many fun things. I think you should get a tee shirt that says, “I’ll take your picture for $2,” and stand next to those signs. Interesting how the tribute pieces all have the same angle. Probably the point of failure for piled sand. The artistic pieces are probably the ones where the glue guy comes around to beat that angle of failure.

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  16. The tiny sand play-kit I had as a child “pails” by comparison. Sorry.

    These are wonderful, John. Thanks for showing work in progress as well as finished products. Can I get nachos in a funnel cake?

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  19. Amazing, John. Those guys are so talented. I’ve seen it done on some of the beaches here in the UK, but nowhere near the scale of the event you have. Love the one of the ape. To think, they even know who our very own Chris is.

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  20. I didn’t turn on my computer yesterday, John. Thank goodness the Internet is forever, and I don’t have to miss these lovely photos! You had a beautiful day for taking shots, and the patience of these sand-artists is inspiring!

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  25. What an amazing display, John! As someone from a family with a long and proud military tradition, I love the first one honoring the military. The artists are unbelievably talented. How many sculptures do you usually see in all at the Sandfest? Are the artists local or do they come from all across the country? What a fabulous event!

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