I started out as an artist, studying a BA in ‘Fine Art in Context’; we were encouraged to find platforms for our art outside of the gallery. I did not enjoy the course all that much. As was very typical at the time, there was very little in the way of skills and craft tuition. I found this annoying, not because I did not understand the post modern conceptual stance of art being in the minds of the perceiver, but because it is with skillful use of language that we can influence someones perception and skillful use takes practice. We need to know the rules before we can modify or break them. It is a long time since I have written on this and my gray cells are rusty, so I will say no more on the theory for now. What I did gain from the course was the opportunity and time to explore my own ideas and medium of expression. I spent most of the my time on the local beaches around Western Super Mare creating sand sculptures. I still make a few a year usually with my wife Nicole.

The art has two lives that briefly touch each other.

The first is the life on the beach. The wind as it rustles in far away bushes and trees or the bustle of the sand as a gust picks up. The smell of seawater. The rolling of the waves. The people wandering past commenting, sometimes helping. The dogs I have to fight off. The form as it rises out of the sand only to be taken away again by the sea, clambering children or the wind. The tiredness from many hours digging, lifting and shaping. A hot flask of peppermint tea, especially in winter.

The second is the photograph and the talk of the event that has past. The reflection, and in many ways, creation of a new form, a form that is remembered. This is the artwork that you see here. For the first you have to go to the beach and find a form in the sand awaiting your hands to uncover it.

Circle Arch 1997
This photograph is of the very first sand sculptures I made and it is still one of my favorites. I light a fire in the center with some driftwood, the smoke catching the late afternoon sun. It was a magical day late in autumn. The sun set as the waves took the work.

Flower 1998

Fire run 1999
This is a ball run for fireballs. The exposure is several minutes. There are two blurred images of me as I dash about lighting the balls.

Liverpool 2005
This is the first sculpture that I made with Nicole.

Welsh Castles 2006
Made with Nicole whilst on holiday in Wales.

Sea Spirals 2006 (image 1)
Made with Nicole whilst on holiday in Robin hoods Bay. As we dug down we discovered that the sand lies on a large shelf of rock. As we cleared the floor of the spiral we discovered several ammonite fossils embed in the floor.

Sea Spirals 2006 (image 2)
Made with Nicole whilst on holiday in Robin hoods Bay. The tide returns.

Sea Spirals 2006 (image 3)
Made with Nicole whilst on holiday in Robin hoods Bay.

If anyone is interested in prints or hi-res images, email me
All images are copyright Sky Wickenden and may not be reproduced without written permission.