Head in the Sand
Brian Convery uses his skill and imagination to create spectacular sand sculptures on the beach .
BY W . B . FRESA
Brian Convery
Almost from the onset of any school year , students and teachers look forward to summer vacation and the opportunity to break from the monotony of studying and grading papers . For Brian Convery , Moon Township resident and Shaler Area School District occupational therapist , summer vacation includes long days on the beach with his feet in the sand and shovel in hand .
For the past 10 years , on different beaches in Cape Cod , Massachusetts , Convery has been found building unique and interesting sand sculptures while vacationers watch in amazement .
“ Depending on the size of the sculpture , it can take between four and five hours to complete one piece ,” he says . “ That allows a lot of passersby to stop and ask plenty of questions about what I ’ m building and how they can do it , too . And they like to see how it all comes together .”
Convery learned how to build sand sculptures from an artist / friend in Massachusetts who works as a sculptor . He and his wife lived there for 17 years while raising their children before returning to the Pittsburgh area three years ago . After educating himself on the fundamentals of sand and how it can be used to build everything from castles to sea creatures , he worked to perfect his skills .
“ I wasn ’ t very good at first ,” he notes . “ But over time , and with a lot of patience and practice , I ’ ve gotten much better .”
According to Convery , fine-tuning the art of sand sculpting is not unlike the skills he teaches to students in the Shaler Area School District for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit . As the district ’ s school-based occupational therapist , it is his job to help children focus on the motor skills related to their needs . Specifically , he and his staff of occupational therapy assistants help students improve their fine-motor skills , which include things like handwriting and using scissors .
“ It takes a lot of time for some students , especially if they have a disability , to learn tasks many may pick up very easily ,” Convery says . “ I ’ ve found the patience I need to have with the students , as well as thinking about how best to help them perfect their capabilities , has also helped in my own sand sculpture endeavors .”
Sand sculpting , he explains , is a combination of the right sand-to-water ratio and design
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