GOING WITH THE GRAIN IS PAYING OFF FOR KAREN
KAREN Fralich has been addicted to sand sculpture from the moment she carved her first masterpiece and now her world-beating handiwork is on the Gold Coast.
Twenty-five years after starting, the Canadian – who has five World Championship titles to her name – is a full-time sand sculptor in demand across the globe.
She follows summer around the world to create mesmerising works out of sand and has been to Australia 16 times.
It is her second time on the Gold Coast for the annual Sand Safari festival with works along the Surfers Paradise foreshore until Sunday. She has three sculptures in the line up – two of Jake the Shark and one of the Ruby Collection’s mascot, William the Bear.
Ms Fralich said it took her two days to create William from three tonnes of sand.
She began her career in 1994 after meeting a professional sand sculpture artist at her friend’s pottery studio. He showed her how to work the medium and she was “addicted immediately”.
“It’s a medium that’s extremely physical, you need a shovel, you sweat,” she said.
“The gentleman who got me into it, I apprenticed for him for four years while I was still working at McDonald’s as a manager and in retail.”
Her career took off when she won a competition that allowed her to go to British Columbia where she met “bazillions” of other sand sculpture artists.
By 2001, Ms Fralich was doing it full-time, putting together sculptures ranging from quick 10-minute designs to large exhibitions taking three months.
“It’s an interesting and fascinating career, it’s hard work, physically and mentally,” she said. “But there’s endless variety.”