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JILL
HARRIS
Jill, a native of Satellite Beach, Florida, discovered her love for sand sculpting 14 years ago. She so fell in love with sand sculpting that she switched careers in order to learn more about this art form. In founding Sandsational Sand Sculpting Inc., she combined her love of art, creativity and performance art with her business skill and marketing background. It has enabled her to dedicate herself full-time to her artistic passion. Together with her partner, Thomas Koet, she has participated in many sand sculpting competitions around the world, winning 1st Place, Sculptor’s Choice awards, and other titles at these events.
Jill has traveled the world to make warm and often humorous sculptures that are appreciated by young and old alike. As an artist, Jill is known for the finish and abundant detail she puts in each sculpture. She strives for her sculptures to tell a story and be complete with all the elements that make them so enjoyable for people of all ages. Her ability and passion for sand sculpting has taken her all over the United States as well as Europe, Korea, Japan and Canada. See Video » Theme: Painting & Drawing
|  THOMAS
KOET
Thomas first started sculpting sand in the Netherlands 12 years ago. He possesses a Masters degree in Industrial Design Engineering, enabling him to quickly learn the basics of sand sculpting which are well appreciated by the audience. After his first introduction to sand sculpting, Thomas decided to explore this art form more thoroughly while traveling to events all over the world. A fierce competitor, Thomas has won many 1st Place, Sculptor's Choice and other contest titles worldwide. He has been a designer for some of Europe's largest sand sculptures. He and partner Jill Harris founded Sandsational Sand Sculpting Inc., a world-renowned U.S. sand sculpting company.
Thomas’ artistic goal is to make art accessible and enjoyable for everyone. His sculptures put a smile on your face while also giving you something to think about. His ability to amaze the public has taken him all over Europe and the United States as well as to China, Korea, Japan and Canada. Theme: Painting & Drawing back to top |  KATSUHIKO CHAEN
He has competed in and won many competitions, and created beautiful works, in Japan, Singapore, China, Holland, Germany, Italy and Canada. This will be his second festival in the USA. In Japan Katsuhiko has been recognized as a visionary organizer. He organizes national- and international-level competitions in Japan, and since 2006 he has helped design and produce fantastic sculpture in the Tottori Sand Museum. Theme: Music back to top |  KAREN FRALICH
Karen is a professional multimedia sculptor who has been sculpting sand for 14 years. Her work includes sculptures in sand, snow, clay, stone, super sculpey, foam, wood and fiberglass, commissioned for movies, television, special events, art galleries and print ads. She also collaborates with several sand sculpture companies in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Italy, Holland, Spain, Japan and Australia. Together with partner Scott Herel they run custom sand sculpture company Sandqube.
Karen has participated in 60 sand sculpting competitions all over the world. She won the Solo World Champion of Sand Sculpture award at the Harrison Hot Springs event in British Columbia, Canada in 2004. Theme: Photography
back to top |  DAMON FARMER
Damon started sculpting sand as a vacation hobby over 30 years ago, and in 1990 he became a professional. He has won most international events in that time, including the World Solo Championship. He travels worldwide annually to share his art form, including visits to China, Japan, Spain, Italy, France, Canada and Mexico, as well as many locations in the United States. His work has been featured on national TV and in various publications. When home in Kentucky, Damon creates in a variety of other art forms, including theater set design and painting, and runs his own sand sculpting studio, Shadetree Studio.
Theme: Theater
back to top |  ILYA FILIMONTSEV
Ilya is a student at Moscow State Academic Art Institute. His specialty is sculpture. Ilya first started sand sculpting in 2005. Since that time he has traveled to many sand sculpting events in Asia, Europe and North America. He has won many awards in different sand sculpting competitions around the globe. When asked what he likes most about sand sculpting he says, “I like working with the forms and the scale of the sculptures. I also like the traveling.” You can find him here on Facebook.
Theme: Sculpture
back to top |  MARJON KATERBERG
From her studio in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Marjon enjoys painting and sculpting in a variety of mediums. She began sculpting sand in 1991. She has been an integral part of developing sand sculpture in Holland. She has been the designer and manager of more than 25 sand sculpture parks worldwide, freelancing for events that attracted over more than 400,000 visitors.
Marjon enjoys every project as a learning experience, expanding her knowledge, improving her skills, and creating something beyond even her own expectations. With every sculpture, Marjon hopes to create a magic moment of sand that touches the hearts of an audience. Her website showcases her sculptures in sand, ice, and other media. Theme: Dance
back to top |  MICHEL LEPIRE
Michel is a sculptor of sand and ice as well as a sculptor of fruit, vegetables, and butter for the culinary world. He is the winner of the Sand Sculpting World Championships of 2003 and has
won numerous medals and trophies over the last 13 years. Michel is also the organizer of the International Sand Sculpture competition of Québec and the originator and artistic director of the project “Sand of Time” at Expo Québec for that city's 400th anniversary. He has taken part in several projects throughout the world. He founded Sculptures Michel Lepire, Inc. in 1994, and in 1998 was joined by his son Marc (see the Space Coast Open sculptors) in the family business. Theme: Literature
back to top |  LEONARDO UGOLINI
Leonardo started sculpting sand professionally in Jesolo, Italy in 1998. That same year he entered the World Championships of Sand Sculpture as a member of a two-man team.They won 1st Place People's Choice, Best Architecture, and 3rd Place Sculptor's Choice. Shortly after that he was invited to competitions in Singapore, the U.S. and Canada. Leonardo likes how easy sand is to work with, as well as the quick results.
Leonardo will often design sculptures combining human subjects and beautiful landscapes
with inspiring architectural backgrounds. When Leonardo is not busy with sand he is a pioneer of environmentally-conscious architecture. He has even entered his family home into "green building" competitions. You can find him online at World of Sand, or here on Facebook. (Note: both sites are in Italian.) Theme: Architecture back to top |
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