Fun Sand Fact#1
Did you know that several well-known artists have incorporated sand into their art? Vassily Kandinsky (known as the Father of Abstract Art) added sand to his oil paints for a brief period when he lived in Paris. (Artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Andre Masson, and Joan Miro were also known to use sand in their work.)
I recently saw this Kandinsky oil and sand painting Accompanied Contrast at the Guggenheim in NYC, which has a large collection of his work.
While artists have used paint and wet glue to incorporate sand into their art, our sand is held in place by a pH neutral dry adhesive so that it remains dry to the touch – and that makes it fun and easy to work with!
Fun Sand Fact #2:
Sand is made up of tiny pieces of the natural world, and the color of sand varies around the world. Although sand often appears to be tan, when viewed under a microscope it reveals many different colors and shapes of grains from minerals, sea life and other organic matter. Here are some amazing examples from the book The Secrets of Sand by Gary Greenberg, Carol Kiely, and Kate Clover.
The sand we use in our kits is not from a beach; instead it is ground from feldspar (which gives it a natural sparkle).
Fun Sand Fact #3:
Sand is used to make concrete and asphalt for our buildings and roads, and it’s also used to make an entirely different material: glass. Glass requires extremely high temperatures and the addition of calcium to make the liquid that cools into glass. No one is certain how glass was first discovered, but it’s clear (pun intended) that it originated in more than one place. Glass beads, bottles, and other decorative items have been found in remnants of many ancient civilizations throughout the world (source: The World in a Grain by Vince Beiser). This photo shows how finely-ground glass (frit) can be used to make objet d’art.
The sand we use in our sand art kits originates in Canada and is colored with organic dyes.
Fun Sand Fact #4:
Sand is a reflection of change. Because of the natural process of erosion, like mountains slowly breaking down in one place and dunes building up in another, the world continually changes.
Our sand art painting canvases are made to be changed: the design you see is only the starting point for your original artwork. That’s why these creative kits make the perfect gift for fun-loving people of all ages and abilities.
Fun Sand Fact #5
The tactile nature of sand makes it the perfect sensory material for learning and practicing fine motor skills. It’s relaxing to use, and helps improve hand/eye coordination.
The beautiful sand colors in our sand art kits inspire the imagination as artists choose colors and learn how to blend them into infinite designs.
