Melts into the sea...eventually

January 29, 2008 11:27 AM

Jim Denevan makes freehand drawings in sand.
posted by Burhanistan (7 comments total)

Here's another video if you want more temporariness.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:31 AM on January 29, 2008

Those are pretty awesome.
posted by DU at 11:44 AM on January 29, 2008

nice Hendrix reference
posted by Zampa at 12:56 PM on January 29, 2008

Just loved that Burhanistan. Jim Denevan's a cool dude. What an interesting life he had and has been leading. Beautiful sand creations, interesting relationship with impermanence. In Tibetan Buddhism the word for impermanence or an intense awareness that nothing is ever, has ever been, or ever will be constant is "mee-tak-pa", mi-rtag-pa; Sanskrit: anitya. Denevan's art seems to have some of that element in it, like a Zen sand garden.

His awesome sand tableaux also remind me of Ray Bradbury's wonderful short story, "In a Season of Calm Weather", of the art critic coming across Picasso's sand drawings just as the tide was coming in. It was first published as “The Picasso Summer”, Playboy, January 1957, later published in his A Medicine For Melancholy.

Adding to the sand animation concept. Do you mind? In your hands. From David Myriam's Tramage, the moving sand.

Jimi Hendrix' Castles Made of Sand.

I love knowing about people who did it their way as adults and did/do it successfully, especially with such finesse. Thanks for your post.
posted by nickyskye at 2:02 PM on January 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

neglected impermanence tag duly added
posted by Burhanistan at 2:30 PM on January 29, 2008

Most things I do with this sort of lifespan are chores, because of their lifespan -- dishes, laundry, grooming.

If Jim is taking pictures of the sand creations, than while the sand part is imperminant, the pictures certainly last a lot longer.
posted by garlic at 5:17 PM on January 29, 2008

good point garlic -- land art has never been so... accessible.
still - awesome work!
posted by ddaavviidd at 10:14 PM on January 30, 2008