Four months of painstaking planning and execution will be washed away in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, July 10. But two days before this happens, he is still working away. “It’s a good life lesson,” said the artist from Santa Cruz, California. “Nothing is permanent.” Denevan is a world-renowned artist who creates geometric sand paintings – called “land art” – that exist for a short time before succumbing to the elements. Jim Denevan uses a hoe and a stick as tools. He has created massive art installations in more than 25 countries, including Siberia, Russia, England and Uruguay. (Erica Johnson/CBC) For over a week, he’s been toiling away at Chesterman Beach, one of the few beaches that stretch along the west coast in Tofino. Denevan has produced massive pieces, mostly from sand, in more than 25 countries, including Siberia, Russia, England and Uruguay. Many of his installations are commissions—he’s created a giant alien for a children’s movie, the world’s largest footprint for a bootmaker—but this Tofino project is a labor of love. Jim Denevan’s installations, many of which were commissioned, primarily feature huge geometric patterns on beaches around the world. His work in Tofino, he says, is a labor of love. (Bryton Denevan) “It’s as good as it gets me,” he said. “Usually when I paint in sand, it lasts for three to five hours and then it washes off. But… I can work [here] for a whole week. There is a raised platform so that the sand remains attractive.” He estimates that a high tide will begin to wash away his composition – which will be 1,000 meters by 200 meters – on Sunday afternoon. But that doesn’t bother him at all. “This is a natural area, a beautiful, beautiful place,” he said. “It would be tacky, bombastic, to put something really big here that lasted more than a few days.” Tourists and locals are often surprised when Jim Denevan’s work in progress happens, he says. The artist has invited volunteers to help rake and dig for his Tofino installation, pictured here. (Bryton Denevan) As he works, tourists and locals pass by – all amazed to have happened upon Denevan and his work in progress. “One thing that’s fun about this particular location and a big piece of art like this is that no one expects it,” he said. “People are just enjoying the day, going for a walk. And the artwork is on the ground, not 100 feet high. So it still feels soft to them, not overwhelming. Even though the artwork is 1,000 meters.”
“How is it so perfect?”
It was certainly unexpected for Antonia Smith, who is visiting Tofino for the first time, from Halifax. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “It’s just incredible. How is it so perfect?” Denevan uses a hoe and a stick as tools, creating works so symmetrical they look computer-generated. A view of the circular shapes in Jim Denevan’s art installation in Tofino, BC, expected to wash up in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, July 10. (Brighton Denevan) For this project, he invites volunteers to dig and dig — most afternoons in the past week have seen more than a dozen people helping out, he says. The California native says he started creating art as a result of a turbulent childhood. His father died when he was five and his mother threw herself into her work. He says he retreated to the woods to escape the trauma of his home, where there was virtually no parent for him and his seven siblings. “It’s half mediation, half physical exercise.” He does want some record of his work before it all washes away. Denevan says he will rent a helicopter to take pictures this weekend. The piece will also be photographed by satellite. JIm Denevan says he will hire a helicopter to take pictures of his facility this weekend. (Bryton Denevan) But once he’s gone, he’s on to another art project, Denevan says — once he’s recovered from the physically demanding work. “I paint in the sand for my own enjoyment,” he says. “It’s a creative outlet. Like a big sheet of paper.”
