Top sand artist found ‘drowned’on beach
Dad-of-two feared to have had heart attack swimming
AN ARTIST who made a career out of creating giant images on sandy beaches has been found dead at the spot where he began making pictures.
Marc Treanor, 57, is thought to have had a heart attack and drowned while enjoying a morning swim on his own.
His partner said he had been complaining of chest pains but had not seen a doctor because of Covid-19 restrictions.
The father-of-two started creating beach art to keep his children entertained when they were young. He was later to create images on beaches all over the country, gaining a worldwide reputation.
Mr Treanor died after going for a dip at Trebarwith Beach, near Tintagel in north Cornwall. His body was found on the shore. ‘It happened on the beach where he used to go with his children Ellen and Joe when they were little,’ said his partner Rachel Shiamh, 54. ‘That’s where he first started making pictures in the sand.
‘He was having pains in his heart but couldn’t get it checked because of the current situation.
‘We went for a swim together a few days before he died and he mentioned the pains then. He even joked that perhaps he would have a heart attack and drown.’ Mr Treanor, of Cardigan, west Wales, had been to visit his two grown-up children before going to stay with his mother near Tintagel. On the morning he was due to leave, he went to Trebarwith.
Miss Shiamh, his partner of seven years, said: ‘He placed an online order for some shoes for my birthday shortly before eight o’clock in the morning. Forty minutes later he was dead – it is so hard to take in.’
Mr Treanor worked against the clock to create images on beaches before they were washed away by the tide. He was commissioned to design beach art for wedding proposals, birthdays, and memorials.
His work was featured on TV and in travel guides and he helped other beach artists around the world, who are now planning a sand art tribute to him. Pembrokeshire National Park director James Parkin, said: ‘Absolutely heartbreaking to hear that we have lost the talented and inspirational sand artist Marc Treanor. He gave us all a chance to look at the natural world differently.’
A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out, but Mr Treanor’s family have been told he died of natural causes.