How do they do that? Incredible sand sculpture in front of Ron Jon Surf Shop
Sandsational Sand Sculpting, based in Melbourne, built an amazing display to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach.
Christina LaFortune, FLORIDA TODAY
- Sandsational Sand Sculpting created three new sand sculptures at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport.
- The sculptures include a pelican and alligator scene, an alligator in a kiddie pool, and a gator on a sailboat.
- Jill Harris, owner of Sandsational Sand Sculpting, launched her business nearly 30 years ago.
Forget that lumpy little sandcastle at the beach. Using an array of sharp-edged tools and “a bigger collection of shovels than a landscaper,” Jill Harris transformed nine tons of sand into a playful pelican and alligator sharing smiles beneath a sunrise, palm trees, MLB logo and an ascending aircraft.
“The caliber of art has gone from here,” Harris said, lowering her hand near the floor, “to high art. You can now do anything from whimsical, like we’re doing here, to making ‘The Night Watch’ by Rembrandt, depending on where you are in the world.
“The whole industry has changed,” she said.
Harris, founder and owner of Sandsational Sand Sculpting of Satellite Beach, globetrots the world sculpting selfie-worthy scenes and artistic figures from sand. On May 14, her small specialized firm wrapped up hand-carved detail work on three new sculptures adorning the atrium in the Melbourne Orlando International Airport passenger terminal.
Sandsational Sand Sculpting has decorated the terminal with unique sculptures the past three years. This latest $8,500 weeklong project brought to life the aforementioned MLB sand scene and two nearby creations:
- An alligator lounging in an inflatable kiddie pool holding a tropical cocktail beneath a “No Diving” sign.
- A gator wearing a “Gilligan’s Island”-styled skipper’s hat, waving from a small sailboat on the Indian River Lagoon.
“From an airport standpoint, it’s really enhanced the customer experience. Because what we find is, a lot of our passengers are taking selfies,” said Mark Busalacchi, airport director of business development and marketing.
“We get a lot of really positive comments on social media about the sand sculptures. It’s unbelievable. What they do is so remarkable with sand. It just amazes me,” Busalacchi said.
“I can’t even believe that alligator, how cool that thing is,” he said, standing near a sculpture.
Once a hobbyist, Harris launched this unusual artistic career while helping friends sculpt a “Little Mermaid” display at Walt Disney World in Orlando — she said she got hooked while crafting a sand treasure chest. She quit her job and founded Sandsational Sand Sculpting in 1996. Next year, her small company will celebrate its 30-year anniversary.
“I didn’t want to get to the end of my life and kick myself in the butt wondering, ‘Would I have been successful at this? Could I do this?’ ” Harris recalled.
Harris’ husband and business partner is Thomas Koet, who won first place in the solo division at the 2010 World Championships of Sand Sculpting in Federal Way, Washington. She said they’ll bring in up to 20 subcontracted helpers for sand-sculpting projects around the globe: “Our world is very small. Everybody knows everybody.”
During the past year, they’ve sculpted artworks at the Tottori Sand Museum in Japan, Veluwe Sand Sculpture Festival in the Netherlands, Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort in Hawaii, Liberty Hill Sculpture Festival in Texas, Autumn Jubilee in North Carolina, Parksville Beach Festival in British Columbia, and Haeundae Sand Sculpture Festival in South Korea.
Across the Space Coast, Sandsational Sand Sculpting has crafted eye-catching sculptures over the years at Brevard Zoo, Ron Jon Surf Shop, the Brevard Cultural Alliance’s Art of Sand festival at Space Coast Stadium, Manatee Elementary in Viera and elsewhere.
Harris’ picturesque sculptures originate from sketches on paper — “the curse of an overactive imagination,” she said. She acquires powder-fine, specialized sand from Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge from a quarry near Winter Haven.
“You magnify it, and it’s sharp and spiky. When I put sand on water and pack it, it hooks together like Velcro,” Harris said.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
