Virginia Beach, where he competed as a solo against groups consisting of up to 15 people. Despite his solo status he placed third. In April of 2012 he won an amateur competition in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, and later the same year won the Discover Presque Isle competition in Erie and was awarded“ Best on the Beach” by choice of the people attending.
Invited to compete as an advanced amateur in the American Sand Sculpting Championship in For Myers in 2013, he won first place in the solo amateur division. To become a master in the art, a competitor must be voted to that status by a unanimous vote of the judges of a given competition. He missed the designation in 2013 but returned to defend his title in 2014.
Once again, he took first place in the advanced amateur solo category in Fort Myers, but this time the judges voted him to master status. In 2015 in his first time competing at the master level, he won second place out of 16 participants in the solo category. He and a partner have also competed
in the doubles category. Todd still has a day job as a mechanical engineer at Miraclean in Ashville, New York, and values his time with his family above everything else. But he plans to keep practicing and competing. Happily for Kiawah, Todd had an opportunity to enjoy the Chautauqua House here in September and had plenty of time to work on his art.
Sand sculptures for competitions may consist of only two materials— sand and water— with a light spray of glue mixed with water allowed on completion to protect against wind. For the artist, the challenge is twofold: finding an inspiration for an appropriate subject and exerting the energy to make the inspiration a reality.
Kiawah provided a perfect canvas for Todd to develop his skills, and we can only hope he will return sooner rather than later. He has certainly found the world in a grain of sand— and so much more. Find Todd Pangborn on Facebook, Pinterest, and pangdad _ 62 on Flickr. com. NK
34 Naturally Kiawah