At 2:30 p.m. Meredith Corson and Dan Doubleday arrive on a mostly empty stretch of snow-white beach. Two hours later they’re surrounded by new friends, a group of stunned spectators captivated by their sculpture rising out of the sand.

The pair carefully waltzes around the 1,000-pound pile of sand, which is shaped like a giant, tiered wedding cake. Dan leads, blocking out the shape of a body, and Meredith follows close behind, adding the details. They carve, brush, and blow the pile into a beautiful female form. When they’re finished, the figure looks as though she’s built from solid sandstone bricks.

“I like the fact that it’s not permanent,” Meredith says, brushing sand from her hands. “All you have when it’s over is the memory of seeing it made. This is very much a performance art.”

A Winning Relationship
Dan and Meredith met at a Vancouver Island sand-sculpting competition in 1996, and their instant connection grew into a loving partnership. Since then, they have won nearly every competition they’ve entered, including individual and team world championships. In addition, their St. Petersburg company, Sanding Ovations, sculpts for beach weddings and does commercial work for companies such as Pepsi. The team also appeared on the Travel Channel’s Sand Blasters show in 2006 and 2007.

Neither Dan nor Meredith has any formal art training. They both stumbled upon their unusual talent—Dan while sculpting sand dolphins for his kids on a California beach and Meredith while watching the “World’s Largest Sand Castle” event on Treasure Island. Friends and family encouraged them to compete.