G. Augustine Lynas is a sculptor of
sand sculptures
Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as sand brushing, sand sculpting, sand painting, or creating sand bottles. A sandcastle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle. The dr ...
and other
ephemeral materials, including snow. He also works in concrete, ceramic, bronze and most two-dimensional media (including murals, illustration, photography, etc.).
Lynas has been doing public sculptures since about 1956. He usually creates his sand sculptures spontaneously to be recycled by the
tide, which encourages emotional attachment by the on-lookers to the disappearing art. When crowds form around his work, he uses the opportunity to remind his audience of the delicate ecology of the oceans and seashores. His works are usually representational, and often combine
anatomical
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...
forms with
architecture and
landscape
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
. Some pieces are enormous, some small. A few are dry and in low relief, while others are tall and highly detailed. Some employ
optical illusion
Within visual perception, an optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is an illusion caused by the visual system and characterized by a visual perception, percept that arguably appears to differ from reality. Illusions come in a wide v ...
s or gravity defying undercuts. His book and film, both titled "Sandsong", have been available through his website of the same name. Lynas has also created a sculpted concrete sand pit in Manhattan's Riverside Park, where the sand and its container are similar in color and texture so that children can create sand sculptures which appear to alter the concrete sculptures. Lynas also works in other ephemeral materials, including snow. In 1980 he was invited to build
snow sculpture in the athlete's village during the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. More recently he has built concrete and bronze sculptures in six New York City playgrounds. Lynas has worked in New York City as a freelance designer since 1970. He has published a new book of photographs called ''The ABC's of Central Park, an Alphabet Guidebook'', available through LynasPress. More recent he has published "The ABCs of Brooklyn, An Alphabet Guidebook For All Ages" with photographer Peter Vadnai. Lynas, the father of three, lives with his wife in Manhattan.
See also
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Sand art and play
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International festival of sand sculpture
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Granular material
External links
G. Augustine LynasLynas's new publishing company, offering his new book The ABCs of Central Parkand The ABCs of Brooklyn"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynas, G. Augustine
American modern sculptors
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people