By Jane Bartnett
Sandcastles. Beyonce sings about them; books have been written about them. Who doesn’t love the idea of sitting on a sandy beach and creating their own masterpiece? There’s something whimsical and magical about castles made of sand.
No wonder that on a pleasant late May afternoon, some 50 people of all ages came to Siesta Beach to learn the fine art of sandcastle building from one of the greats, Andy Daily. Daily is an award-winning Sarasota artist, sand sculptor and expert instructor whose talent and expertise also recently landed him on the Travel Channel’s “Best in Sand” show. Daily and Brian Wigglesworth, who have backgrounds in commercial design and illustration, operate their Sarasota-based company, The Sandventure Crew. Brian is a master sand sculptor. Together they create sand sculptures for private and corporate events, festivals and fairs. They also offer private and group lessons in the fine art of sand sculpting.
Daily has been the sand manager of the Siesta Key Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival for seven years. He’s looking ahead to this year’s 2025 Crystal Classic that will be held on Siesta Beach, November 14-17.
The two-hour, mid-May, free sandcastle class was a gift to the community from the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce.
As Daily began the two-hour session, he spoke to the group and offered his design tips for creating a memorable sandcastle from the white crystal sands of Siesta Beach. “Sandcastles don’t last forever,” he said. “But you’ll have great memories of this day.”
“Water is key. And the wetter the better. It’s important to learn how to properly mix the sand and water,” he said. Walking among the groups as they began their projects in his sandy Siesta Beach “classroom,” he checked on their progress.
With buckets of water at hand, the families and groups of friends got to work. Different architectural styles emerged as the time slipped by. There wasn’t a sand artist at work who wasn’t having a great time. Parents and children worked side by side and groups of friends worked together offering tips and suggestions to each other.
As Daily walked among the sandcastles that were in various stages of development and completion, he offered tips and guidance.
Stopping to talk to a young family of five, Daily explained that “the sand on Siesta Beach doesn’t hold water. The sand runs through it.” As the three young girls ran to fill their buckets with water, their father told Daily, “We’re here on vacation from Argentina and we’ll be going home to autumn weather. Sadly, no sandcastle building for us for many months to come!”
Lara Daily, a noted sand sculptor herself, was also on hand to offer lessons on the unique art form. As she assisted a family from Port Charlotte, she offered tips on how the family could create their own memorable sandcastle. They plan to come back to Siesta this fall for the Crystal Classic.
When Andy Daily saw a large complex castle rising from the sand, he knelt and observed the detailed structure that a group of friends from Tupelo, Mississippi, were constructing. “Our castle is an example of asymmetrical architecture,” said Les George with a grin, as he stood before the creation as his wife Bianca and friends looked on.
“What do you think of our mote?” Bianca George asked Daily who offered advice on how to create the perfect mote “Excellent. We have to keep the enemies and the alligators away,” said Daily. “But we do need a drawbridge to cross the mote,” he said. With Daily’s guidance, Bianca poured a mound of wet sand against the castle. “Don’t we need stairs too?” Bianca asked. The drawbridge plan was abandoned as a set of stairs took shape instead.
With a painter’s palate, Daily deftly drew a sharp line into the mound of sand and cut out a wedge. “Now we have stairs” he told the couple as he handed Les the tool. “Now you try it.” Within minutes, Les had successfully created a staircase.
Standing back to admire their handiwork, the group took pictures. “I’ve never made a sandcastle before,” said Les with pride. “We don’t have sandcastles in Tupelo!”
As the class ended, Daily surveyed his students’ work with great satisfaction, accepting thanks. Next up on Daily’s summer schedule are more sandcastle lessons on beaches up and down the East Coast as well as a stop in Colorado for a community sand event called Sand in the City.
He’s already begun planning for the November 2025 Crystal Classic. Speaking of the 24 sand sculptors who will create the stunning designs that will grace Siesta Beach, he advised, “I’ve started lining up the international sand sculpting artists,” he said. “We conduct worldwide outreach to artists everywhere.”
Looking at the row of majestic sandcastles that stood in the sand, Daily smiled. It was a good day at Siesta Beach.
