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>>IN '81 I CAME TO DAYTONA
AND I SAW A MAN
DOING SAND SCULPTURES ALL
THE TIME AND HE AND I ENDED UP
WORKING AT THE SAME PLACE.
WE BECAME VERY GOOD FRIENDS.
AND EVENTUALLY
HE BECAME MY HUSBAND
BUT I LEARNED FROM HIM.
MARK WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
PROEFESSIONAL SAND SCULPTERS
IN THE UNITED STATES.
HE STARTED IN THE LATE 60S.
HE WAS MORE PRONE TO
DO PEOPLE AND I LIKE ANIMALS
A LITTLE BETTER.
AND YOU KNOW MOTORCYCLES
AND ARCHITECTURE LATELY.
I LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S STRANGE WHAT YOU
FIND OUT YOU DO LIKE.
FOR THIRTY YEARS
I'VE BEEN MOSTLY SOFT SAND
SO IT HAS MORE OF A
AMATEUR LOOK TO IT
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T MAKE
IT STAND UP TALL.
YOU HAVE TO USE ILLUSION
TO MAKE THINGS LOOK AS IF
THEY'RE STANDING FREE.
AND I LOVE SOFT SAND.
FOR SOME THINGS I REALLY LOVE
SOFT SAND, ALTHOUGH HAVING
WORKED NOW WITH COMPACTION
AND TOOLS, I'VE TAKEN THAT
AND ADDED IT TO THE SOFT SAND
AND CHANGE IT A LITTLE BIT
TO WHERE IT'S KIND OF A
COMBINATION OF BOTH.
IT'S A CHALLENGE
BECAUSE EVERY SAND IS DIFFERENT.
EVERY SAND BEHAVES DIFFERENTLY.
I MEAN EVEN SAND THAT YOU
MIGHT WALK UP AND GO
OH I KNOW THIS SAND.
THEN YOU START WORKING WITH IT
AND IT DOESN'T DO THE
SAME THING. SO IT'S THAT
CONSTANT CHALLENGE.
IT'S CONSTANTLY TRYING
ESPECIALLY IN SOFT SAND TO
FIND WHAT GRAVITY WILL ALLOW.
MOSTLY PEOPLE WATCH
WHEN YOU'RE WORKING AND
IT'S HORRIBLE SOMETIMES.
BECAUSE YOU FIGURE AN
ARTIST NORMALLY IS HIDDEN AWAY.
ALL OF THEIR MISTAKES
CAN BE DEALT WITH PRIVATELY.
BUT YOU'RE JUST OUT THERE.
WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING
AND IF YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG,
THEY'RE WATCHING.
BUT IT'S SOMETHING ABOUT
YOU KNOW YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO
THE LEVEL OF THE SAND WITH
YOUR MIND AND IT'S FASCINATING.
IT PULLS YOU IN.
YOU CAN BRING YOUR IMAGINATION
OUT INTO THE WORLD WITH SAND.
YOU CAN JUST CREATE
WHATEVER YOU WANT.
SOMETIMES.
A LOT OF TIMES, I'LL JUST BE
SITTING SOMEWHERE
OR SOMETHING AND I KIND OF
SEE THE WHOLE SCULPTURE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN,
BOOM THERE IT IS. THEN
I MIGHT WORK ON IT IN MY MIND.
WELL I'LL CHANGE THIS OR
ADD THAT. AND YOU'RE ALWAYS
STRIVING TO MAKE IT BETTER.
IT'S NEVER FINISHED.
AND YOU'RE ENDLESSLY LEARNING.
ENDLESSLY.
AND I'VE DONE IT
THIRTY YEARS NOW.
IN THIS COUNTRY, WE HAVE
ABOUT FORTY PROFESSIONAL
SAND SCULPTERS.
WORLDWIDE PROBABLY 300.
BECAUSE IT'S AN EXTREMELY
PAINFUL ART FORM.
IT HURTS. YOUR BODY HURTS A
LOT BUT IT'S WORTH IT.
YOU JUST HAVE TO KEEP
DOING IT AND KEEP AFTER IT.
IT TAKES A SPECIALKIND OF PERSON
TO GO THROUGH THAT PAIN.
AND PRACTICE
AND PRACTICE AND GET TO
THE POINT WHERE YOU COULD
CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.
THEY GO FROM TABLETOP.
I DO A LOT OF TABLETOP
SCULPTURES MINIATURES.
UP TO WOW IN BELGIUM WE DID
LETS SEE I THINK
I HAD A 40 FOOT OCTUPUS
AND 250 FOOT DRAGON.
AND THESE ARE JUST
MASSIVE PROJECTS.
IF YOU SEE IT ON TELEVISION, OR
IF YOU SEE IT IN PHOTOGRAPHS
OR THE INTERNET,
IT GIVES YOU NO SENSE
OF THE VOLUME AND
YOU JUST REALLY CAN'T
SEE ENOUGH UNTIL YOU ARE