Sand has always provided a medium, a muse, an inspiration in many ways, but
the way in which it inspired Andrew Clemens was extraordinary - and unique.
Clemens was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1852 (or 1857, reports vary), one of the
six sons of German and Prussian parents whose shipboard romance began as
immigrants to the U.S. His father was a locksmith and wagon-maker who moved the
family to McGregor, Iowa, to take advantage of the business provided by the
gold-rush and settlement of the west. At the age of five, Andrew was struck by
"brain fever," encephalitis as we now know it; lucky to survive, he lost his
hearing and speech. He was sent to the Iowa Institute for the Education of the
Deaf and Dumb in Council Bluffs, but as a young teenager he most enjoyed his
time in McGregor, working in his father's business - and visiting Pictured
Rocks.
In what is today Pikes Peak State Park, the classic Paleozoic formations of the central U.S. form bluffs and gullies along the Mississippi River, among them the Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone. This classic sandstone is famously pure and white, its well-rounded quartz grains providing the raw material for glass-making and other applications. But at Pictured Rocks, waters percolating down through the overlying limestones, charged with a variety of minerals, have stained the St. Peter with a dazzling palette of natural colours (photo from Iowa Geology 2001, 26, Iowa Department of Natural Resources).
Clemens
loved this place, and collected a spectrum of sand samples of subtly different
hues, greens, reds, browns, yellows, grays and blues. Back home, he would
carefully sort the grains by both colour and size, and then go to work. In
bottles of different sizes and types, he would, grain-by-grain, construct small
works of art. Using specially devised tools - fish hooks and wands made of
hickory - he would sort and position his fine-grained sands into, at
first, geometrical designs and later, as he developed his incredible craft,
meticulously detailed images (photos courtesy of the State Historical Society of
Iowa, Des Moines).
The image of George Washington on his horse is perhaps the most famous, but the designs range from personalized greetings to dramatic eagles, via ships, floral designs and documentation of local events, often with words and mottoes. His pieces, of necessity, were constructed upside-down, each bottle later sealed; he used no glue, no pigments, nothing except naturally-coloured sand grains and his patience and genius. How many bottles he made is unknown, for they are fragile and many have been broken over the years, a work of art becoming just a pile of coloured sand on the floor. Indeed, for a while Clemens worked at the South Side Museum in Chicago, constructing simple designs as the public watched, which were then dramatically smashed with a hammer to demonstrate that no magic was involved; understandably, Clemens did not find this activity to his liking and soon returned home.
Clemens's extraordinary skill and creativity became recognized, but only modestly. The Editor of the North Iowa Times wrote in 1888 that "McGregor has an artist nowhere equaled in this world in his line of artistic work. He invented and became skilled in an artistic work all unaided and alone. He invented and made his own tools. He has thus brought to a surprising perfection an art of which he alone is the inventor, the master. We refer to the pictures wrought from sand from Pictured Rocks by Andrew Clemens. Our people do not properly appreciate this art. The master doesn't seem to know its worth nor does he seem to realize his exalted position among the inventors of the world. Mr. Clemens lately completed what may be regarded as a masterpiece. He has made many fine efforts before. This last one is a perfect picture of General Washington on horseback. The artist has surpassed the copy, he gives the coloring, shadowing, form, all complete and perfect and all done in sand. The work shows a Mississippi River steamer running at full speed, a group of Indians in camp, the flag of our country, fields, harvest scene, all perfect and wrought with natural colored sands in a glass jar. The jar is open at the bottom and the work is commenced at the top of the picture. But to appreciate this wonderful work one must see it as we have seen it. It is one of the wonders of the age and ought to have a place among the great art of the world."
Clemens died, tragically young, in 1894, probably of tuberculosis. His bottles had sold for fifty cents or a few dollars but today the survivors sell for thousands.
(quotation and information from http://members.tripod.com/clipclop/andrew/, a site which has detailed information and pictures of many of the surviving works. For the geology of Pikes Peak State Park, and further material on Clemens, see http://www.iowageology.org/gb70/stop-05.htm, the source of the picture of Clemens, above).
Good to see that Andrew Clemens's extraordinary creations are getting a bit of publicity! DEAF LIFE Magazine is featuring a cover story about him, and I wager that it will come as a surprise to many of our readers. Until a bit ver a month ago, I didn't know about his story, either.
Posted by: Matthew S. Moore | April 26, 2010 at 06:37 PM
I always love to learn something new, and learning about Andrew Clemens was inspireing. I think the art world should add him to their list of GREAT ARTIST!! If you want to learn about him, Google: Grain-by-Grain: the amazing sand bottles of Andrew Clemens. By the way, if you find one of his bottles, the Road Show just appraised one for about
$3,000.-$5,000.
Posted by: Kfreebir56 | October 04, 2010 at 05:49 AM
Just saw his works on Antiques Roadshow. I may not be 'schooled' in the fine arts, Mr. Clemens' work is simply incredibly beautiful! I find his art to be the 'coolest' thing I have seen in the last few decades, if not ever! My mother was a decent painter, but I have trouble drawing a stick figure. The talent and gift Andrew Clemens showed in his sand bottles is nothing less than amazing.
Posted by: David Graham | February 15, 2011 at 07:23 PM
i wish I could see just how he did these!! Incredible!!!!!
Posted by: ANNE CLAYTON | February 18, 2011 at 02:01 AM
It's Friday night Feb 18, 2011 and I'm in Tallahassee, Fla. I also just saw the sand bottle work of Andrew Clemens on Antique Road Show and it is utterly amazing! As in amazing! It seems impossible but there it is! I couldn't refrain from looking him up and here I am. I guess I've seen a few sand bottles somewhere at sometime but I hardly knew this type of craft existed. I'm searching for more words but I guess it's just a what can you say type of thing. From what I read, Andrew Clemens was dealt blows early in life but he didn't stand down. Kudos Mr. Clemens!
Posted by: David Winter | February 19, 2011 at 04:22 AM
The work of this artist is exceptional. It is almost unbelievable, but I believe it! I had never heard of him until Antiques Road Show. Thank you to them for introducing Mr. Clemens to the public. I wish more people could see his work. This was an unusually gifted man who even posthumously is truly deserving of more publicity and recognition.
Posted by: Alexa Bradley | February 21, 2011 at 03:32 AM
I too watched the Antiques Roadshow from Des Moines, Iowa. Never heard of Clemens before. Was fascinated by his work. One week later, with my friend, we are doing our usual Goodwill, Salvation Army etc. End up in a building where several dealers have stuff. The owner buys estates and puts it on a shelf. YES! I sure did find one on the shelf. 100% certain it's for real. Noone else on the planet could have done this work. Has between 10-11 different colors. Geometric work. Design flows with the actual pattern found on the bottle. Been reading everything on the web. Amazing man, brilliant artist. Taking it to the Iowa State Historical Building Tuesday, Feb. 22. Here's the kicker. Paid $3.99. My friend has been doing this sort of thing for years, me just a newbie. I'm so excited. Get this, it's not about how much it's worth (I could use some cash) but rather having this piece of history entrusted to me.
Posted by: Kathy Hoover | February 22, 2011 at 08:49 AM
Kathy - please follow up with a comment here after your visit - the suspense is killing me!
Michael
Posted by: Sandglass | February 22, 2011 at 09:21 AM
Michael- I did take the bottle to Mike Smith the main curator at Iowa Historical Museum this afternoon. I live in West Des Moines. Took a friend to hold it while I drove. I was shaking inside. Was able to see Andrew Clemens exhibit while there. Mr. Smith had the aura of a curator. LOL He did not indicate one way or the other whether he thought it was the real deal. Which I'm sure it works that way for anyone bringing things in. He asked to keep it so he could look at it better and make some phone calls. He said that he had never seen this kind of bottle used. It's very Victornia looking. This comment did not bother me. I'm telling you there is no way anyone else could have done it. Didn't say how long it would be before he called me back. Which I understand. I took some pictures last night. Not a computer nerd but if you are comfortable giving me your email I will attempt to send those to you. Anxious to hear from you.
PS Made the decision last night, since I couldn't sleep, that if this is real I will donate it to the museum if they want it. Don't want the responsibility of this sitting on a shelf in my home. Just plan wrong on many levels to profit from this adventure. How cool is it to have something you found in a museum?
Posted by: Kathy Hoover | February 23, 2011 at 04:30 AM
Kathy - this continuing story is fascinating and I look forward to further episodes. And yes, I'd be very interested to see the photos - my e-mail address is on the blog, but here it is directly:
mw@throughthesandglass.com.
As things progress, would you like to write a guest post for my blog? I would really appreciate it.
Best
Michael
Posted by: Sandglass | February 23, 2011 at 06:06 AM
i have a sand bottle i would like to know if it is an andrew clemons how can i find out
Posted by: neil custard | March 09, 2011 at 09:22 PM
Hi Neil - your best bet would be to contact the Iowa Historical Society: http://www.iowahistory.org/. Perhaps send them a photograph?
Good luck!
Michael
Posted by: Sandglass | March 10, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Hi folks,
I am a big fan of Andrew Clemens and have been researching him for quite some time. I also very familiar with many of his bottles. I am also familiar with a number of other sand artists that have attempted similar work. If you could provide pictures, I am sure I could identify who might have done them if not him.
Roy
Posted by: Roy Sucholeiki | April 03, 2011 at 03:56 AM
Hye every one ..I saw the pictures and I like them..I'm interested in this art and I have a 12 years experience in this art ..so I can do a lot of sand bottles..
so if any one need to learn this art I'm ready and any one who interested in this art please visit our website https://sites.google.com/site/sandsbottle/
& also on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Desert-Magic/225038457509211
come&visit us and sure you will like what you will see!!!!
Posted by: sand art | October 28, 2011 at 12:44 AM
To Kathy, If you're still tracking comments on the sand bottle you found, I'd love to see a picture of the bottle you found. Wish I could find something that remarkable at one of the thrift stores. If you're okay with e-mailing me the pictures, my e-mail is wyotumblebeaders@yahoo.com. I have several pictures of his work, and just tracked down a copy of Spinning Wheel Antiques magazine from 1965 which has one of his bottles on the cover. Let me know what you think.
Maggie
Posted by: Maggie Clark | August 02, 2012 at 08:46 PM