My Sand Story

I had been successful as a mural painter for many years, including painting murals for Godiva Chocolatier, the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas, a Disney theme park in Tokyo, and many more great projects. I returned from Tokyo in 2001, and just a few days before 9/11, I had a terrible accident at the mural studio, which was just a few blocks from the Twin Towers. I was working on a scaffolding and turned my face into the side of a moving industrial ceiling fan... the accident was very bad, and I was lucky to be alive. My face was all smashed up and I had to have reconstructive surgery on my face. My brain had been rattled... something opened up in my mind.

A few days later, I was home recovering, with a cast on my face, and looked out the window to see the second plane hit the WTC. It was traumatizing for the whole world. But, more so for me. Just 6 months earlier, I had worked as a dancer at a weekly party at Windows on the World, on top of the WTC. So, I was feeling very, very fragile.

I had been interested in Eastern philosophy, particularly Buddhism, from having just been in Japan. I had some time on my hands recovering, so the very next day thought it might be a good idea to start studying Buddhism. I then became interested in Tibetan sand mandalas.

I started studying fractal geometry and quantum physics and many other philosophies. I realized that something was different about my brain. I started to be able to make different kinds of connections. The accident had made me smarter. I then heard of something called Acquired Savant Syndrome, a rare syndrome which happens to people with head injuries. I believed this had happened to me.

Soon after, I saw a video by a Hungarian sand animation artist on YouTube and chills went up my spine. In my mind, I could see myself up there doing it…. Several years later, in 2010, when I was seeking work, an acquaintance mentioned that sand art was something desirable for events. Again I got chills... I immediately started building my sand box and spent a year teaching myself. I believe the accident enabled me with the skills to do this very advanced art form.

The new connections in my brain gave me the ability to work with both hands and much more. After a year of struggling to learn sand art, I put a video up on YouTube, and a week later was hired by Cirque du Soleil for the after show party they had for their Zarkana show, which was originally in NYC. My career just took off after that and I've been working as a sand artist ever since.

Birth of a Sand Artist

People often ask me how I got into making sand animations. It probably started for me in childhood, before I ever thought about a career in the arts...

I loved to watch PBS programs, particularly because of the artistic content. As a child, I loved all things art related. On Sesame Street, I saw an animation of two sand men throwing a sand ball back and forth on a light box. There was also a sand alphabet animated on Sesame Street. I was fascinated. In the summertime, on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, I would draw images in the sand, and wipe them away, trying to mimic those animations. I closed my eyes and faced the sun... and wished I could draw in the sand forever.

Later, I enjoyed watching International Film Festival animations on PBS. Every year the winners in the short animation category were broadcast. I loved watching them over and over. I told my mother I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I dreamt that I lived in New York. I started making flip book animations. 

I did become an artist when I grew up. I moved to New York City and found work creating window displays and also painting murals. I learned as I went along. Eventually, I landed jobs as a mural painter on big projects both nationally and internationally. I really enjoyed the work. I became very good at lettering and sign painting as well, which became useful skills later on.

While on a scaffolding, working on a large scale mural, I had an accident. I suffered from a head injury. A week later 9/11 happened. I needed something to ease my physical and emotional pain. I was out of commission for awhile healing, and feeling very vulnerable, so I started studying Buddhism. 

An artist friend of mine recommended a video to me that she had seen on something new called the internet. We had been talking about the Buddhist concept of impermanence and ephemeral art. It was a live animation by a Hungarian artist. He was creating sand animations on a light box, but as a live performance. An electric shock went through my body... I remembered how much I loved those animations from my childhood, and I had a flash vision of myself up there doing the performance. I had goosebumps. I watched it over and over.

As the internet grew in popularity, and YouTube came along, I saw a Ukrainian girl's sand animation performance getting passed around on Facebook. I started wondering if this art form was something for me to try.

Time passed, and the economy collapsed. Mural painters were out of work, due to advances in digital technology and the trend of minimalism. I needed something new to do. A co-worker mentioned sand animation and how desirable the art form was becoming. I decided in that moment to give it a try. I knew I had the skills necessary and I liked the idea of working with technology.

I spent a year researching, watching sand animation videos, and trying many different materials. I built my own sand table in my studio. It took me several months just to learn to move the sand. I also had to learn digital editing for music and film. It was a difficult process and I almost gave up. But, eventually, with a lot of practice and some patience, I created my first sand animation video and put it up on YouTube. A week later I was scouted to perform for the opening night after party for Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana show at Roseland in New York City.

The rest is history...

Charlene's Bio