My Modern Met Interview

For an interview with My Modern Met 

How did you start making sand art?

Before the landscape artwork, I did sculptural work. That work turned out to be highly geometric. In studying about the forms I was creating, I stumbled into looking at methods that our ancient ancestors would have used to design their enormous temples and buildings. Crop circles share many of these techniques, and so my eye as drawn there as well. Then, when on the beach sharing what I had been learning with a friend, it suddenly dawned on me what could be possible with a canvas as large as what the beach could offer.

Most of your designs focus on patterns. What is your inspiration for these abstract pieces?

Nature is my ultimate inspiration. For the first few years, the geometric work was my focus as that was my entrance into creating at the large-scale. My studies by this time had turned towards fractals and patterns in nature. My geometric work held a huge issue for me- they felt static, lifeless, whereas these new areas of research felt alive and dynamic. I have always been drawn to nature but could never figure out how to decipher what I was seeing. And then I had an epiphany that in nature there are processes occurring and the pattern we see is the result. For instance, at some temperature threshold the moisture in the atmosphere will precipitate and form a cloud. If the temperature goes up then the water evaporates. If the moisture goes up, rain may occur. Its a dynamic process, which can be appreciated by watching clouds appear, shift, evolve as they float past. The cloud doesn't know what it looks like- it's just appearing as a result of other forces interacting. Think also of ripples in the sand formed by water or wind. Or the way tree growth responds to light- each species in their own way, making their own identifiable yet individually unique profiles in the forest. So I began mimicking this apparent complexity by combining simple processes while working- processes that I could hold together over a large area without having to be specific in any particular way (as I would need to be with the geometric work). In this way the artwork would 'emerge' without specific direction or intent. 

These days I have been combining these 'geometric' and 'organic' approaches, acknowledging both the order and chaos side of our existence.

Do you have an idea in mind before you visit a location or do you create pieces on the spot?

For the most part I come to the beach without specific preconception. However, once I have begun work on a new piece I know the process I will follow. So I am not making it up as I go- there is a plan of some sort which allows me to keep it all together over such a large scale. Generally when I arrive at a new location I come ready with various possibilities that I have been working on. Then I decide what would be most appropriate given the conditions of the beach- is the beach wide or narrow, sloped or flat, and so forth. Some designs require more space, some work best when there are natural nooks and crannies to fill in. There are times when I may spend several days at one location in which case I can design for that specific circumstance. There can be a dialogue between the artwork and the landscape,. I can never take for granted how a beach may present- they are all changing throughout the month and year so I must be flexible with what I do.

What is your creative process for each design?

I am always noting and taking photos of patterns I see when out in the world, both natural and human-made, and puzzle over them to understand what is transpiring and what could I learn that could be applied at the largescale. Sometimes an approach I come upon for working at the landscape level will suggests its own possibilities. I'll explore all this in my sketchbook. When a design has evolved into something that feels mature, it goes into a 'pot' of ideas to select from when I am next at the beach. Once able to assess a location in person, I choose the design the works well with the circumstances on the beach. Each design has its own approach. Sometimes I have a better sense of what that will be before beginning, and sometimes the process breaks down in some unforeseen way.

How do you view the ephemerality of your art?

After having done this art for as long as I have, the ephemerality plays less of part in my experience than it did at the beginning. At the start there was a subversive quality to the art. Not that I am special in any way for creating art that isn't meant to last, but as a cultural norm, we view permanence as having more value. But through this art I came to recognize that in the long arc of time, nothing will last- eventually all things I have done and that all humans have ever done will be erased. It had me recognize that at the heart the desire for permanence is a fear of our mortality. How do we choose to spend our time in this limited existence? It is a fundamental question that can be both challenging and inspiring. It took me to the next recognition- what is worth doing other than that which elevates my spirit? That had me allow myself to let the art to take a greater place in my life, investing so much energy in something that almost immediately will begin washing away. My art is a pointer to this larger awareness- to value the life experience as it is happening.

How has your artistic practice changed over time (if it has)?

There are a couple of things I appreciate about the development of my work. At the start of my professional art work, over 20 years ago, I was almost always indoors, often in the near dark due to the sculptures  I was constructing, hunched over doing fine, meticulous work. Working outside and at the beach (barefoot!) was a huge and welcome change. And getting physical with my art- using my body as the brush essentially, brought me in much greater connection to my creations. 

Is there an artwork you are most proud of? Why?

Yes. 'Flow' is my largest piece that works with the specific landscape. My inspiration was Japanese water painting of a river flowing. I designed it on an aerial  photo of the location. Being able to carry through the long curving line as though they were strokes created from way above is quite difficult. For an organic design, I had a specific outcome that looks and feels natural from above, but on the ground its a huge distance and I had to 'feel'.the 'strokes'.

How do you know when a work is finished?

Different designs have different endings. Some need to reach a certain completion. Some can go on and on without end and are finished when my canvas runs out, the waves return, or I'm ready to stop. A design may need a few tries before it achieves completion as a concept.. 

What is the best thing about being an artist?

I appreciate that I get to be creative for a living, doing it on my terms as expresses who I am. It is gratifying to create work that brings joy, wonder, and inspiration to so many.   

Interview for College Project

 

You wrote that there is an ‘esoteric fractal’ quality of being within the pattern that is being made. What do you mean by that?

Fractals are deep and delightful- and powerful. Fractals are at the border between order and chaos- they are equations that yield unpredictable results for infinity. Some fractals are more intricate than others. One way I began connecting to fractals within my art was to approach working as a set of processes or motions that I kept repeating, and in particular ways. That is the subject of my most recent series on 'Coordinated Chaos' which are my most recent posts on IG and FB.

When I am caught up in a perspective, and for a while I was evolving through new ones frequently, I see the world and my experience through that lens. In this case, the idea of fractals had gotten hold of me. I was seeing myself as an equation that is responding to the world, creating the pattern that is me, which has a form, physical and conceptual that can't be fully known and predicted.

So I think in that quote I am saying that I am a fractal, inspired by a fractal, creating a fractal.

By extension, in the real world, people come together to create much larger than any single person's capacity. The largescale beach art is a metaphorical creating of the next level of the fractal that we ourselves are a part of making in myriad and singular ways, unable to fully comprehend, but can sense exists. Climate change is an example of this in action- it is the higher level of the fractal in which we are all woven together, too large to be comprehended in its totality, but glimpsed through the places where we can bring clarity through science.

You describe creating your art in a spiritual way – it flows through you and makes you feel energized – why is that? Can you explain this a bit more?

This is where my spirit drew me. I say 'spirit' to mean the force that animates my body and seems to be distinct from the other spirits around me but yet which is ultimately connected to all other spirits in some much deeper way. At a point in my life I made the conscious decision to follow the things that elevated my spirit and to move away from the things that dampened it. Movement, self-expression and later art all elevated me, as did eating right, choosing where I lived based on how it had me feel, choosing a partner who was a constant source of spirit elevation.

I was only able to maintain the energy for the artwork to have gotten to the place I am with it technically, artistically, and professionally because the act of engaging it- whether designing, planning or executing- brings me energy. Its fun! :-) Its challenging. It's impressive. I'm at the beach, barefoot!

Another side that this brings up is that the making of art is, at its core, a transmission of an experience and a process of the creator. While depth may be present at various levels in any particular artistic creation, the finished product is generally not the ultimate goal (unless it is a commission- that's another story!). The exploration of a process is the true instigator of the journey.

You mention using your dice guide when you want creativity or don’t have too much time. Have you had to use the dice often? Does it work?

Hmm, if I said that then I meant that I use them for workshops often- to give folks ideas if they are in need of inspiration. They are a great tool- offering structure but complete flexibility. A great creativity stretcher. I've made my own drawings based on it, but not one of my own on the beach.

On a different side, I *have* been using a random number generator - essentially a dice app on my iPad. My latest works in the 'coordinated chaos' series are guided by the output of the app. In the app I can quickly change the number to randomly select among. I might have 4 design elements possible in one design but only 2 in another. Or the possibilities might shift within an emerging piece depending on the evolving design.

What I love about the approach of using randomness to determine how a preselected set of design elements will interact is that the result is so much more interesting and 'real' feeling than I could make on my own (yet, perhaps...!). It has a warmth that, on the opposite spectrum, my mandalas tend not to have, particularly the ones that are 'perfect'.

I am coming to art from a background in science and tech. My degree is environmental studies. My path in the beach art began with art most akin to crop circles. It was through reverse designing some crop circles to study their creation- on paper- that I could see how I could use my sudden awareness of the beach as a canvas. All my art in the early years based in geometry. It was about getting everything pretty much perfectly. That was very stifling and didn't leave room for much creativity in the moment.

Then I uncovered ways to connect to patterns in nature in which I could work unhindered by schematics or prior consideration beyond, perhaps, what movement or process I would be repeating in the art-making. In these creations something new was emerging in that very moment that could never be duplicated (unlike the geometric ones which would look the same no matter where they were placed- the design anyway, even if the photo might be gorgeous!).

So my journey has been about, among many other things, moving away from perfection and precision and embracing the unknown potential of...the absurd and delightful unpredictability of life?...the revealing of one's self?...the spontaneity of life in motion.

It's an elusive goal, as my logic-oriented mind has a hard time initiating an artwork without a way determined before-hand of how I am approaching it. Each stroke becomes scrutinized and agonized over unless I am following a plan, however loose. Then each stroke is judged solely against the plan and envisioned result, and based on how real life is playing out I adjust the process in whatever ways. Sometimes this is to the benefit of an artwork, sometimes this becomes second guessing the plan and might throw things off ultimately. This tension came up in my most recent artwork. I was finding the emerging results of my process, based on randomness, to be dull and repetitive. My drawing I was basing my work on wasn't dull, so I now wonder if I was being overly critical. Might that, perhaps simple, design been totally adequate and maybe even great within the overall landscape? Well, I changed course and just did whatever came to me to do- organically- within a framework and parameters already laid out. I'm happy with the result! The lesson I'm learning is that if I have some structure to work within, I can invite my own internal spontaneity. I've come to this lesson before, now I am having a better languaging of the concept. I've done many artworks based on this concept.

I'm trying to figure out how to introduce 'jitter' in my moments in ways that can be random so that I can bring that in without needing to think about any particular stroke. In general people are repetitive in their actions. The expressive chaos of life is very hard to capture, and when it is, that feeling of life happening in the moment is transmitted. Connected to your first question, when doing these artworks,  repeating an action of some sort in an organic, responsive way,  there is a feeling of being within the fractal.

After all the effort that you’ve put in, do you not find it frustrating that your creation disappears? Is capturing your art in a photo enough of a permanent reminder?

The photo is a wrinkle in the 'its all about the experience' shpiel. If I didn't have my camera, or my drone, or it was raining, i wouldn't likely do the artwork. That tells me I want to have my work live on in some form. Definitely I want to document my creations to reflect upon and appreciate, but I also wish to share them. As for the physical creation, the accomplishment is sufficient. I feel no bond to them once I have completed a work.

Of course, I loved living across the street from a great beach. I would go out just to doodle, with no larger goals, which is generally now how it is when I live away from the beach, as has mostly been the case. Currently I live 3-4 hours from the beach :-(, so each outing has pressure to 'be worth it'.

What can be frustrating is not being able to complete a piece before the tide returns, especially when it was a challenging one and the conditions are perfect and the problem is me and my insufficient prior consideration of the design and its process. One of the downsides of not having closer access to beaches is that there is more pressure for a visit to yield amazing results. That deadens the sense of exploration and play. Makes things too serious. The coordinated chaos series has been a good offset to this- bringing in the experience of unfolding mystery.

 

In your video you mention that you’ve ‘left the stream’ and are now doing creative work that you really enjoy. What inspired you to make this change? Was it a hard decision to give up a secure, ‘regular’ job?

Security is an illusion.

Doing anything in life where 'security' is the decision-making influence will, I feel, lead to a constrained life. My decision to step away came when I was offered a permanent job for a position I had been temping for, being extended each month for 6 months. I hated every moment there, but the money was really good (for me at that time!). Some time prior the Enron scandal had happened.  In that there were retirees who had spent decades of service whose pensions were wiped out in the stock market. I decided that my experience in the moment was more important than my fear of the future (in this case a future in which I ended up in the gutter). This decision would later be crystallized into the perspective that guides my life of doing that which has my spirit shine more brightly. That is why I have a career in art and why my art is good- my spirit shines more brightly when I do it, and so it will invariably have high returns and be highly received. It's not just I who receive the benefit of this arrangement- you receive a bit of my spirit and the spirit that was running through me in seeing my work. As it is with any artist. And anyone who does anything when their spirit is elevated by the doing of the thing (even if they are bad at it! it may simply be a pleasure to be around their joy in what they are doing- or not! but at least you won't begrudge them for that)

 

As your work is temporary do you consider yourself an artist?

What is an artist? Someone who creates art? What is art? A self-expressive creation?  An aesthetic transmission from one person to another? I have tended to be uneasy with the title of artist for it implies that everyone else isn't, which isn't the case. My life work is awakening in others the interest and capacity for self-expression.

Anyhow, simply by creating one is an artist- at least you are 'the' artist of that particular creation. How long the art lasts, or even if anyone else sees it, is beside the point.

Who do you create your art for and why? Is it your own self-expression, is it an escape, is it for others i.e. commission work?

Commission work pays the bills.

I have been delighted that people from all backgrounds find wonder and appreciation in my work.

The real joy comes from when I am doing it for myself and I am out on the beach in the elements, perhaps alone, the sound of the waves....The joy comes from endless hours of meditative designing.  The joy comes from the satisfaction of an artwork successfully accomplished

 

Finally, do you think artists are born or made?

I have had a judgement that I am not an artist because my art expression has pretty well-defined boundaries. My vision of an artist is someone for whom all things they touch feel transformed, as though they can't help it. I think these people are born this way. I have several friends who I see as this way- the true artists- art as a way of being.

But all of us are expressive and wish for our spirit to be seen in the world- however that way is for that person. Artists abound all around us who might never be considered as such due to how the title is used currently.

A few years back I was working on a program series called "Capturing Impermanence". In it we filmed ephemeral artists making an artwork and interviewing them about their thoughts on impermanence. As I conceptualized that program, trying to define the parameters for inclusion, I came to realize that we are saturated with impermanent art: music performances, a fine meal, an boutique ice cream or chocolate, dance performances, and so forth. These people are artists- transmitting an aesthetic experience. Similarly there are endless people who are creating in an expressive way who we don't look at as artists. But I feel they meet the qualifications

Interview with ArtNews.com

1. What are the three words that can best describe your art?

Ephemeral, Largescale, nature-based (that counts as one word, yeah? :-)

2. What is your mission in art?
My mission is to find satisfying outlets of creative expression for my inquisitive explorations into life and the experience of living it while uplifting, inspiring, and opening the viewer.

Interview for Philosopher-Clown blog

1. Your bio states you started doing artwork on the beach in 2004. Did you make artwork before then, or was this one of the instances in which you were “reborn”? 

I had been creating art professionally since 2000. I was making large, black-light reactive sculptures that were generally used in electronic music festivals. It was that artwork that put me on the path to the beach art. 

Lovingly crafted mini doc

Here is repost of a mini-doc on me made last year by KQED, a public station in the San Francisco area. They did such a great job :-) It apparently got 17 nominations for awards. There must have been some really stellar work that beat this one!

This mini documentary is perhaps my favorite of all the ones done. There is a spaciousness in the story telling that allows the viewing of the video to feel relaxing and meditative. It shows many aspects of what I am doing and the experience of doing it.

Interview for Life is Good magazine

You were born in San Francisco and took notice of the murals on buildings. You have an environmental science degree and you were in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, where you developed conservation education curricula for rural schools. Then you went to Burning Man to feed your desire for self-expression. Did all of these events set the tone for your working with sand?

Definitely. Each informed my being. Largescale artwork, appreciation for the natural world, living simply, a taste for a lifestyle that was informed by my own interests and self-expression, experiencing a community of people who gave themselves and each other permission to revel in their wackiness. These all played a role in setting the tone for my journey. When my own art exploration began, I came out of the gate with a motivation and energy that had been informed by many years of diverse experiences. It was as a spontaneous eruption of artistic exploration that surprised me with its suddenness.

Interview for Scholastic Math Magazine

This is the full interview with Scholastic:

1. What first inspired you to use the coastline, rather than a more traditional medium, as a canvas?
My background is in science, not art. I'm coming to art via my exploration of the world rather than initially setting out to make art. Quite unexpectedly I happened upon how great a canvas the beach can be. That, in turn, prompted me to explore what was possible art-wise.

Interview with Ritual Magazine

1. Do you see the creation of your work as a ritual that you cannot live without?
I could not see myself not exploring the world around me and engaging it with inquisitiveness and wonder. The art was born from that approach to life. While I feel confident that I could be doing this artform for the rest of my life and always have more to explore, I do not feel bound to the work on beaches. But it is the capacity to express my explorations- that is something that makes my soul sing.


2. How do you begin your creations? Is it always the same process?

Each artwork has its own path and requires its own approach. Generally (when I don't feel rushed by the pressure of the incoming tide) I begin with a few deep chi gong breaths and give thanks to the beach for being available and welcoming. It feels important to me not just to slow down and get centered, but to acknowledge the location, to not take it for granted.

3. What emotions does the creation of your work inspire in you? e.g. tranquility, happiness, peace?

It is interesting how simply being at the beach can be restorative, even a beach in a major city such as San Francisco. Once near the water the rest of the sounds of the city wash away. With bare feet in the sand, breathing fresh ocean air, the mind is cleared and all outside cares dissolve. Once I am in motion, I am highly focused. Someone filming me once remarked that she thought it would look more zen, but instead I am hyperfocused and look serious. From my own perspective, in order to keep everything working together at such a large scale I must been keenly aware of all that is happening and be able to always hold the larger picture. Finishing a piece and seeing it from above is always a happy moment, a sense of accomplishment and pride.

4. How do the seasons affect your work? ie do you work differently in summer and winter?

As it turns out, I don't change my approach, but the beach itself often changes. The winter storms wash away beach sand, flattening the beaches, often extending them, and allowing the high tide to get quite high up the beach. This means more space to work. My largest creations were during the winter. Summer generally means the beach builds back up and so high tide doesn't get as much beach wet. So I schedule my more ambitious projects for the winter time. Other than that, since I work mainly in california, the beach is available year round.

5. What else are you passionate about?

I love studying nature itself- I can be endlessly fascinated by small details that I see all the time every day all around me. I love to examine cultural and modern artforms. I absolutely love Contact Improvisation dance. I am passionate about good eating and good living, being in places that feed my soul and give me energy. I love to explore new places, especially where the mountains meet the shore or where water runs through steep valleys.

6. How does working in silence affect you and the people you are creating with? (and the work)?

When I am working I do so in silence. I do not listen to music, just the sounds of the ocean. It keeps me present to what I am doing. It keeps me centered. It is very easy to make mistakes if one is not being fully attentive. This weekend I am doing my first group artwork (involving others in the art-making) which is intended to be silent. I am looking forward to what this can offer the participants.

7. anything else you would like to say about your work as a ritual?

These days I am dedicating the artworks to something, generally to harmony and upliftment. It has me be aware that everything we do can be a opportunity to send out higher intentions, to work for something beyond whatever is directly in front of us. While it is easy to see a ritual as a specific act, our lives can be seen as a long ritual- full of intention and meaning. Also, ritual can often feel stiff and formal. But I see the act of affirming higher intention as a living act, a celebration of life. Aho!

Interview for La Stampa Italian magazine

Something about you...(age, where are you born, which studies have you done, what's your job, your favourite music, your favourite sport ...)

I love do not listen to music when I work, I prefer the sounds of the waves.

What was your dream as a child?

How your passion for sand-drawings came to life?

I had been studying ancient geometry when I was on the beach one day playing in the sand with a hiking pole, making different marks, when it suddenly dawned on me that I could apply what I had been learning to the beach to create enormous designs similar to the way that any pre-computer, architecturally advanced society would have done to design their cathedrals, palaces and tombs. 

When have you done your first circle?

that was in 2004

How long resist your works? Do you get angry when someone walk on them?

They begin to wash away almost immediately. And in general I don't get upset when people are clueless and walks on it. It can be aggravating when someone does  see what it is and walks on it anyway or has their dog run through it. Dogs are the worst!

Do you work secretly or in public?

Well, all beaches here are public. When I want people to be able to see what I am doing I will go to a more public location. When I am working on a commission I will go to a remote location or not announce my presence.

How many times do you need generally?

How long does it take? 2-3 hours.

Is there someone that confuse them for alien- signs?

Probably!

How do you realize them? Which is your technique?

There are so many techniques I employ that I don't have time or you have space for me to really talk about it. For the most part I am just using a rake.

Do you project them, first? (on a computer or drawing on paper?)

I am always sketching ideas.

How many drawings have you done since now? 

Hundreds and hundreds

How bigger they are usually?

I do them as large as I can which depends on the size of the beach, the amount of useable sand,my energy level, the complexity of the piece. Up to several hundred meters across when I can do it.

Which are the difficulties behind your work?

Planning towards the right tide- it changes every day, every month and season, and also shifting every year. Also finding the right locations- even beaches I know well change constantly.

How can you give the idea of "different colours"?

I don't aim for different colors. I design from the perspective that there is only contrast and  darkness gradients.

Do you get inspiration from something when you have to draw?

I get inspiration from things around me constantly. Those become seeds for my own explorations.

Are you the only one in the world to do this? Do you know someone else like you?

There are a few other who bring a rake to the beach. There is none other like me.

The bigger drawing have you ever done? The difficult ones? The strangest ones? 

What comes to mind is doing art on a beach while a storm was happening. It was for a film and we felt like persevering. But I could hear the huge waves crashing not that far from me, violent from the storm. I felt many times that a wave would wash me into the ocean.

The draw that you couldn't realised yet?

I have many many ideas awaiting reality. There are many designs waiting to be realised.

Are you working on something right now?

I'm always working on many things...

Have you ever tried to make your self-portrait?

Haven't tried that yet...

Is there a place, a beach, where you dream to draw something?

I can't think of a particular place. What I dream of are amazing conditions wherever it is that I go. I especially Iike the exploration of the unknown.

In which places have you been? Only on the USA?

I'm going to Brazil in a week, Ireland next month. South Africa not long after. I have been to England, Bermuda, France, and Italy doing my art.

June 2015

Mini Doc for Uplift Entertainment

I was profiled for the cable station Uplifting Entertainment, a station that focuses on- yep, you guessed it- uplifting content. I appreciate its uptempo yet calm pacing and I like that I am speaking energetically and not ponderously (I can get pretty critical of how I come across when speaking). I'm even happy about the design I did (though there weren't shots that showed the whole thing from higher up- I suppose those didn't turn out so well). The crew was a joy to work with and I thank them for creating a lovely clip that I am psyched to share!

Andres Amador, Earthscape Artist from eBreezy Media on Vimeo.

Filmed by CCTV

I was filmed recently for the program 'Full Frame' by CCTV. I love it!

Sometimes I listen to what I say when I am filmed and I feel a cringe inside. Perhaps its the editing that seems to reposition thoughts, or the video action doesn't quite seem to match what I am speaking about. Not so with this film. The clip takes its time with the material and interview, allowing the events to unfold spaciously. I'm even happy with the piece I did that day (not always the case!).



Website and written article.

On CBS Evening News!

I was interviewed for CBS about a month ago and it just aired tonight. I am not so thrilled with the artwork I made. It was the first time trying the design and many things came to me as I was doing it and then as I was able to look from above. Many changes I would make. I have to be easier on myself for having still-in-development art being filmed. Its hard to receive attention of praise for something I don't feel as complete with. And this I would consider one of those moments. However, I appreciated how they approached and edited the piece and the interview.

Here's the clip:

A Voyager's Heart

A lovely film done by James Yager for PBS.


Voyager's Heart: Andres Amador - Earthscape Artist from James Yager on Vimeo.

Interview for Invigorate.com

This is the full text of a written interview done for Invigorate.com, the final version of which can be seen here.

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Andres Amador uses a rake to expose wet sand on North Californian beaches during low tide. The result? Vast esoteric designs: beautifully intricate, and excruciatingly temporary.

    CC: You have never measured your pieces, but judging from the size of people in them they can cover nearly 100,000 square feet. Does your imagination zoom out to a bird’s eye view of your progression? What’s your headspace like when you’re in the groove?

    AA: Its a good question. Our normal sense of scale is based on human proportions. There was an adjustment necessary when i began making my art. There is an intuitive sense that must be overcome and re-oriented to work at the scale I do. Depending on how high my overlook was, I would need to create the design accordingly. On the ground thick lines might look quite thin from high up. Details so meticulously made may look incoherent from above. Now I am finding myself at that place of re-conceiving scale again. I recently began using a remote controlled helicopter with a camera. It allows me to take photos from *really* high up- up to 700 feet high. The instinctual approach I've developed over the years for working at scale are being recalibrated to work with an even greater scale. I'd say that it takes practice and experience. As for keeping things together at such a scale, its as though I am 'feeling' the placement and balance of the components of the art over the area I am working.

a lovely film and article

'Flow'

I was recently featured in the San Francisco Chronicle in a lovely article and short film by Mike Kepka.

Interview for Hors Ligne

This is the full text for a written interview I did for Debra Moffit of Hors Linge magazine.

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When you teach workshops what do you do? What kinds of organizations/people come?
AA: In my workshops I do a presentation of the art- its origins, its inspirations, what I feel its speaking to. Then we discuss the design we will do together that day and go into the techniques we will use. Finally I hand out rakes and we start working on the group artwork.

I do the group artworks with all sorts of people. I really enjoy doing my team bonding outings with work groups, to let business folks get barefoot and create art together. I'm on the road at the moment having just done a group artwork as part of a memorial and I'm about to lead another. For both of these memorials the parents of the passed children opened the gathering up to thier wider comunity to create beauty together, which is such a wonderful way to celebrate the memory of a loved one.

How do the patterns emerge? Where do you draw inspiration from? -- (One famous architect told me he gets his inspiration from his "siestas" in Rome between 6 and 7 p.m.)
AA: Inspirations come from all over all the time. I find my strongest inspirations from patterns in nature, which I attempt to decipher and translate as large as I can. But in general, patterns and designs I see around me in every day situations, such as when I am at the fabric store or looking at a magazine, sudenly something strikes me that I would like to revisit and explore. I am always taking photos of ideas that I encounter for later potential. I have a huge album of ideas for when I am in need of a starting point for designing.

What is the coolest personal message you created on commission?/Most sentimental?
I have done many marriage proposals and several have stood out with their messages. For one, the fiances-to-be's families joined to make the design with me. The man who commissioned me told his sweetie that it was a family outing. We all worked together and towards the end I sent the couple up to the overlook to see what had been made. As they walked up I quickly wrote in the words, which were in Polish as she was Polish. They got to the top and she was blown away in surprise. It was so sweet to be a part of such a lovely gathering.

For another one the commission was for a lesbian couple. The woman hiring me asked for the word 'Believe', which had been a word they used over the years to give them strength. 

I did an article on the Drepung Loesling Monks who create intricate sand mandalas and I see some parallels. This is your quote which I would like to explore more: "Then there's the aspect of impermanence that has been so valuable for me to have had the opportunity to experience in such a creative way. The only constant in this existence is impermanence. In the end our lives are about the experiences we've had, not the things we have held on to. And in the face of certain erasure, in the face of our own personal, inevitable demise, the act of rallying forces on behalf of creation and beauty is a declaration of one' existences in the face of a seemingly indifferent ocean of reality. I really like that metaphor- it encourages and propels me."
Society is so bent on trying to resist change and deny the existence of impermanence. How do people react to your ephemeral art? How do you feel when it washes away?AA: People are often amazed and puzzled that I would spend so much time on something that would erase so quickly. I am often asked 'aren't I upset that the art goes away so quickly?' For me its liberating to be released of holding on to what I have created, but for others they can feel frustration on my behalf. there are people who can appreciate what I am doing and appreciate the artwork even more for that aspect of it. The quote you used is one I can still stand behind and I would add another element. I've been coming to have a sense of how our lives are guided and in turn how we shape our own realities. I have been coming to the conclusion that to allow our lives to be led by our joy is to allow us to live joyful lives. Its a simplistic statement, but so deep. I spent plenty of my lifetime in self pity and insecurity and I have come to see that joy is such a better way to experience it. I think that the knowledge of our unavoidable demise has people frightened and thus seeking assurances. We give up so much of our life experience in search of this security- trading our family lives to make more money, or trading our life vigor in order to have a pension (that may or may not be there when we need it). The mystery of what is to come is scary, and Americans, especially, try to create security at every turn- often limiting the ways we can experience life for fear of potential outcomes. Knowing that we all will go the same path eventually, the question of what we choose to do with the time we have is an important, and quite possibly, burdensome one. My choice to create ephemeral beauty is akin to the native american 'heyoka', the person who chose to do everything backwards- laugh when everyone else is crying, cry when all else are laughing, to show that there are many more ways to experience the current reality. I am showing that living through joy, for that is my ultimate motivator- i couldn't have kept it up for so long if joy weren't at the heart of it- is the end in and of itself. When asked what is the purpose of my art, the response is that there is no purpose to anything except to be joyful while doing it, period. creating beauty is a way of bringing this message to many people, for it resonates and gets passed along. What better way can one spend one's time than bringing beauty to the world?

What is your definition of beauty?
AA: For me beauty is an energy transmission. it is what we experience when we are in the presence of whatever we are calling beautiful. we use the word beauty to describe many things, - what is important is what we are feeling at that moment. In a japanese style garden I feel serenity and peace, I feel calm inside, I feel myself relax, my mind expanding. when i first laid eyes upon my beloved, I felt a beautiful spirit, and I felt my heart opening. I think that in the presence of true beauty we feel good inside, it has *us* feeling the positive impact of that state.

Do you have any big ambitions -- like of particular landscapes to decorate/design? Mojave desert? Other beaches?
AA: I'm in the midst of several big collaborative projects which I would rather keep as a surprise. I am wanting to bring my skills and vision to others and go even bigger in the layers of depth that the art can transmit. There are definitely beaches I wish to create upon, and other locations off-beach. For the moment I am about to live out one of my desires- to live next to a beautiful beach that I can practicce and play on, where people can come to me. Another ambition is in the ways that the art is used, the impact it can bring to others, such as in the helping to transform grief.

Does your work extend beyond beaches? Do you have ambitions beyond sand?
AA: The beach just happens to be a great canvas, but its the principles of creating at the largescale that have been what I feel I have been mainly developing. So I've been looking to where else I can apply that knowledge while still using natural materials. I've been playing a lot with using straw and recently I did an artwork in the desert soil using a pickax. I prefer that the art be able to be created relatively quickly, like within the span of a day. Otherwise it begins to become cumbersome and laborious.

What else would you like to share with readers about you, your work, landscapes, nature or anything else that comes to mind?
AA: Something that has been coming through as I refelct upon the journey I've been on from scientist and computer tech to artist, a journey that has been full of steps into the unknown, facing my doubts and inner criticisms, is how when I have listened to the voice of my spirit, and the more I've done to feed it, the more rich my life has become and the more received my art has been. I want to tell those who feel they don't know their purpose or passion, people who may not know their place in the world, that all those things come when one is living from a place of feeding their inner light in all the various ways that can mean. My first step was to allow myself to follow my interests, to spend time with them and even put money towards them, without concern for where it would, or was supposed to lead. My next step was to choose to live in a place that fed my soul, a beautiful place with supportive people. The art seemed to come to me, rather than me find it. I wish this journey of expansion for everyone.

Interview for Scribbleblog

I was recently asked for an interview from Scribbleblog.com, which can be found here, check it out :-). I am including the text after the jump.

Profile Film of Me!

Here is an artist profile done by Ovation TV, sponsored by Subaru. Its the best quality film of my and my work yet done. While I don't care for the commercialism, I'm super psyched about what the film crew created.

Interview with Fractal Enlightenment

I was given a thoroughly respectful interview that I consider to be the best on me and my work yet done. Its difficult to speak of esoteric ideas to the general media, but these folks are on my wavelength and got what I had to say.

Throughout history, the evolution of art can be traced through the works of visionary artists who pioneered a new form of artistic expression. One such artist, who is busy livening up the beaches around San Francisco, is Andres Amador; beach artist extraordinaire.

Fractal Enlightenment contacted Andres, who shed light on using the beach as the canvas, his growing relationship with organic patterns and its ability to raise consciousness of other people.

More at FractalEnlightenment.com

Interview for FractalEnlightenment.com 3/12- Full Text

We’ve all drawn stuff in the sand as kids, but never imagined it as more than a means for some lazy afternoon fun. What drew you to use the beach as a canvas?

I "paint" on the beach primarily because of the enormous space it offers to create with. The beach is an amazing canvas, albeit not a very reliable one. It is different every time I visit.

I love being able to create in such a wonderful environment. Despite being at the edge of a large city, simply being on the shore erases everything else around me.

And working with this medium, there is no mess to clean up, nothing to put away or store(!). The ocean prepares a fresh canvas daily.