Andrew Clemens
Encyclopedia
Andrew Clemens was a sand artist from the U.S. state
of Iowa
. Clemens created sand bottles, using a type of sandpainting
to complete his pieces.
, but sources differ on his year of birth, at least one source asserted his date of birth as January 25, 1852; other sources cited 1857 as his year of birth. Clemens later lived in the McGregor, Iowa
area and at a young age he suffered encephalitis
and was rendered deaf. At the age of 13 Clemens was entered into the State School for the Deaf and Dumb
in Council Bluffs, Iowa
.
career blossomed during his summer vacations from the State School, when he would spend time honing his craft. He would collect naturally colored grains of sand from an area in Pikes Peak State Park
known as Pictured Rocks. At Pictured Rocks, the basal portion of the sandstone
near Sand Cave is naturally colored by iron
stains. Clemens separated the sand grains into piles, by color, and used them to form the basis for his art.
To create his art he inserted the presorted grains of sand into small glass drug bottles using a fish hook
. His process utilized no glue and pressure from the other sand grains alone held the artwork together. When Clemens completed a sand bottle he sealed the bottle with a stopper and wax. At first, Clemens' work was simple and geometric in nature, diamond shaped patterns against an ivory white background was a regular motif in his earliest work.
His technique improved gradually and eventually people wanted to buy his work, which now included overtones, shading and complex designs such as landscapes. He created most of his work between 1880–1886 and is acknowledged as the inventor and possibly the sole practitioner of his art form. During his lifetime, it is thought that Clemens produced hundreds of his sand bottles but few survive today. The more complex subjects of Clemens' work ranged from boats, to flowers to flags and he often created custom bottles with scenes of his client's choosing. The most complex of his designs could take up to a year to complete.
At the age of 19, following a fire at the State School, Clemens began to sell his creations in a grocery store in McGregor. His artwork sold for $5–7 at the time. Today, his bottles can sell for more than US$
10,000. In 2004, a Clemens' sand art glass bottle sold for $12,075 at auction. At a more recent auction, a pair of his bottles were estimated to sell for $25,000-$35,000 but failed to sell.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Clemens created sand bottles, using a type of sandpainting
Sandpainting
Sandpainting is the art of pouring colored sands, powdered pigments from minerals or crystals, and pigments from other natural or synthetic sources onto a surface to make a fixed, or unfixed sand painting...
to complete his pieces.
Early life
Andrew Clemens was born in Dubuque, IowaDubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, but sources differ on his year of birth, at least one source asserted his date of birth as January 25, 1852; other sources cited 1857 as his year of birth. Clemens later lived in the McGregor, Iowa
McGregor, Iowa
McGregor is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 871 at the 2000 census. McGregor is located on the Mississippi River across from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Pike's Peak State Park is located just south of the city...
area and at a young age he suffered encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
and was rendered deaf. At the age of 13 Clemens was entered into the State School for the Deaf and Dumb
Iowa School for the Deaf
Iowa School for the Deaf is a pre-K to 12th grade school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It serves students who live in Iowa or Nebraska.-History:...
in Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
.
Art
Clemens' sand artSandpainting
Sandpainting is the art of pouring colored sands, powdered pigments from minerals or crystals, and pigments from other natural or synthetic sources onto a surface to make a fixed, or unfixed sand painting...
career blossomed during his summer vacations from the State School, when he would spend time honing his craft. He would collect naturally colored grains of sand from an area in Pikes Peak State Park
Pikes Peak State Park
Pikes Peak State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, featuring a bluff overlooking the Upper Mississippi River opposite the confluence of the Wisconsin River. The park is operated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. It is nearly a thousand acres in extent. The nearest city is McGregor,...
known as Pictured Rocks. At Pictured Rocks, the basal portion of the sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
near Sand Cave is naturally colored by iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
stains. Clemens separated the sand grains into piles, by color, and used them to form the basis for his art.
To create his art he inserted the presorted grains of sand into small glass drug bottles using a fish hook
Fish hook
A fish hook is a device for catching fish either by impaling them in the mouth or, more rarely, by snagging the body of the fish. Fish hooks have been employed for centuries by fishermen to catch fresh and saltwater fish. In 2005, the fish hook was chosen by Forbes as one of the top twenty tools...
. His process utilized no glue and pressure from the other sand grains alone held the artwork together. When Clemens completed a sand bottle he sealed the bottle with a stopper and wax. At first, Clemens' work was simple and geometric in nature, diamond shaped patterns against an ivory white background was a regular motif in his earliest work.
His technique improved gradually and eventually people wanted to buy his work, which now included overtones, shading and complex designs such as landscapes. He created most of his work between 1880–1886 and is acknowledged as the inventor and possibly the sole practitioner of his art form. During his lifetime, it is thought that Clemens produced hundreds of his sand bottles but few survive today. The more complex subjects of Clemens' work ranged from boats, to flowers to flags and he often created custom bottles with scenes of his client's choosing. The most complex of his designs could take up to a year to complete.
At the age of 19, following a fire at the State School, Clemens began to sell his creations in a grocery store in McGregor. His artwork sold for $5–7 at the time. Today, his bottles can sell for more than US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000. In 2004, a Clemens' sand art glass bottle sold for $12,075 at auction. At a more recent auction, a pair of his bottles were estimated to sell for $25,000-$35,000 but failed to sell.
Late life
A funeral notice, circulated around McGregor when Clemens died, stated in part that his funeral was to be held on May 14, 1894, when Clemens was either 37 or 42 years old.External links
- Images of Clemens' sand bottles: http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/cowan0905b.gif, http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/cowan0905a.gif, http://www.iowageology.org/gb70/stop-05.htm
- Examples of sand art bottles: http://jordancraft.com/petra-sand-bottles/
- Andrew Clemens Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Andrew-Clemens-McGregor-Iowa-Sand-Artist/134933286573770?sk=wall
