Grand Sand Castles by Ever-Playful Artist – Calvin Seibert

Calvin Seibert is an artist that never really grew up at first glance. Just a man on the beach playing with sand? Ah, these unique minds are always ‘wolfs in sheep’s’ clothing it seems. “In hindsight, I see that much of what I made was more like sculpture. It really was all about the object and its resonant meanings rather than interiors and spatial flow,” Seibert explained. From the School of Visual Arts, Colorado-born artist continued arts in this special form. Modern sand architecture, defined by sharp angles, geometric shapes, and clean edges is a pleasant surprise to everyone who comes upon it while beach walking. “While not all of my structures have quite the rugged fortress-like presence of a Kenzo Tange or a Paul Rudolph building, it is something I aim for.” The creative process starts at the top of the structure with great care to keep the horizontals level. Layers are made by mixing water and sand, to be later smoothened by hands. Artist carries his self-made tools, trowels, and knives for cleaning the edges. “Also, a five-gallon pail is a must-have because it’s indispensable for digging and fetching water, as well as carrying stuff to the beach. While creating I pretty much make things up as I go along, allowing surprises and engineering difficulties to shape the castles. Robert Venturi’s prescription of ‘complexity and contradiction’ is always in the back of my mind.”

Brilliant modern structures – sandcastles, by Colorado-born artist Calvin Seibert

Imagine just walking down the beach and coming across this epic sandcastle. Aliens, right?

Layers are made just by mixing water and sand

Artist carries his self-made tools, trowels, and knives for cleaning the edges

A five-gallon pail is a must-have for digging, fetching the water and carrying stuff to the beach

Great, now when you know everything that you need, you’ll just need to be a creative genius and you’re set.