Amazing colorful sand paintings by Andrew Clemens (10 photos)
Andrew Clemens (1857-1894) was an artist from Dubuque County, Iowa, who spent most of his life near the town of McGregor. At the age of five, he fell ill with encephalitis, which left him completely deaf and almost mute.
At age 13, Clemens began experimenting with sand art. From pieces of hickory (American walnut) and fish hooks, he made himself special tools that he used to carve intricate patterns into the sand. No glue was used in the process. Clemens relied on pressure, packing the grains of sand tightly to maintain the integrity of the work. After completing the painting, he sealed the jar tightly. The artist had the amazing ability to split an image and assemble it bit by bit, like pixels in a digital photo. During his lifetime he created an impressive collection of sand paintings, but few of them survive.