Chelsea Artist Takes Sand Sculpting To Another Level

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Building sand castles at the beach is a favorite activity for most kids, but for one man it's his creative outlet.

As CBS2's Elise Finch reported, it all starts with a pile of sand and a bucket of water.

In just a few hours Calvin Seibert transforms the materials into geometric works of art.

"I've always been interested in architecture. When I was young I thought I wanted to be an architect then I realized I could be an artist," he said.

The Chelsea resident works as an artists assistant where his main material is wood. He said during the summer months he likes to switch it up by building sand art in his free time.

"Mine is more like what a kid would do, just packing up wet sand and slicing it," he said.

Seibert uses a set of simple plastic tools he made himself to create the hard edge forms he described as modernist and brutalist.

He said he starts at the top of his sand pile and works his way down.

"You don't touch the sections you started with because they get dry and they're crumble so you can't really go back," he said.

Seibert said he chose to sculpt at the beach because the beauty inspires him and here, his raw materials are plentiful and free.

"The great thing about sand and sand castle building is at the end of the day you have something fairly substantial you couldn't get quickly, or cheaply," he said.

Even though you won't find traditional sand castles or mermaids in his portfolio beach goers said they love his work.

"They're really different, and it's awesome," one admirer said.

"I like his imagination, because he never repeats whatever he has done the day before," Victor Rosen said.

Seibert said it takes skill and patience.

Each sand sculpture takes him four to eight hours to build. He doesn't solicit money or enter competitions. He said he just likes to create.

He also said he likes that the waves often wash his creations away at the end of the day. It gives him a fresh start on his next project.

Seibert called his sand art, a labor of love and hopes that it inspires budding artists.