You would have seen people build number of things at the beach using sand, but we’re sure you would’ve not come across anything as life-like as created by Andoni Bastarrika.
In fact, some of the sculptures built by Andoni look so real that they could be easily mistaken as ‘real’ animals if seen from a distance. Although, the artist has created many sculptures, most of his creations revolve around the natural world and animals, like bull, horse, dog, crocodiles, etc.
Andoni discovered this talent of his in year 2010 while on the beach when he tried his hands on creating a mermaid, which turned out to be ‘really’ good. He says that the fluidity and dexterity in his hands is God-gifted.
Here is some of his best work!
He likes freedom in his work and says that he loves the freedom that animal world enjoys when living in their natural habitat. That’s the reason, he says, he never has and never will make any animal with any accessory or chains. He feels that the animals, when chained, suffer.
Once he has piled up the moistened sand, Bastarrika uses sharpened stick and a feather to deepen the expression into his creations. Some of the other materials he puts to use can include coal powder, ashes, colored stone powder, glass shards, clay powder, etc.
Each sculpture can take anywhere from 6 hours to even 2 days, depending upon the size and detail.
