For some individuals, going to the beach entails relaxing by the water, wandering down the beachfront, or even building a sandcastle. However, some artists, such as Andoni Bastarrika, take this casual hobby to the next level by turning wet sand into magnificent three-dimensional works of art. Bastarrika’s collection of incredible, lifelike animal sculptures appear to have “washed up” on the shore.
The skilled artist does his land art on the native Basque beaches in northern Spain. He locates an elevated cement platform with a view of the shore and begins to fill buckets with sand. The self-taught artist then shapes the wet materials by hand, sometimes with sticks, until the subject’s realism is satisfied. Bastarrika frequently uses found things as decorations to improve the final work. For example, a life-size sand sculpture of a bull has genuine horns on its head and pebbles for hooves. The animal appears breathtakingly lifelike at first glance, as if it were simply napping by the sea.
A horse, a big white shark, a toothy alligator, a rhino, and even an elephant are among the other popular sand sculptures. A series of different dog breeds napping on the beach has also been created by the Spanish artist. Bastarrika frequently shares images of completed projects on his Instagram account, where he can be seen posing jokingly with his incredible creations.
More realistic sand sculptures by Bastarrika can be seen further down the page, and you can keep up with his latest masterpieces by following him on Instagram.
Andoni Bastarrika produces hyperrealistic animal sand sculptures.
These three-dimensional works of art appear to have crept onto the beach for a siesta.
Andoni Bastarrika: Facebook | Instagram