Brandi and Greg Glenn, a husband and wife duo from California, have brought their masterpiece sand sculptures to the South Carolina State Fair every year since 1987.
According to the couple, the key to pulling together 75 tons of sand into a beautiful work of art in two weeks is love. Their lengthy marriage has allowed them to learn how to work well with each other, and that helps them to complete tedious parts of the sculpture.
“We got married and we’ve been together for 30 years,” Brandi Glenn said. “We’ve been sculpting and traveling.”
She was 19 when she began creating sculptures with him. They met thanks to their shared sculpting hobby and, through this hobby, they have not only built their business, Sandscapes, but also a solid marriage.
Glenn said it all started when she met her husband three decades ago while he was creating a piece.
“He was actually sculpting in front of a store that I was assistant manager in and he bothered me and then I bothered him,” she laughed.
Since then, the two have been a team and have sculpted sand into masterpieces for venues including state fairs across the country. Their professional experience includes hundreds of projects worldwide. They began sculpting their current piece at the S.C. State Fair Monday. It will be completed on Oct. 18.
The next nine days will be exhausting for the couple, but the couple said the years that they have spent together have given them a dedication to both each other and to their shared hobby that helps them sculpt in harmony.
Greg and Brandi Glenn work on a “mystery” sand sculpture that will be revealed at the South Carolina State Fair October 18th.
Sculptor Greg Glenn finishes the tedious job of the creature’s teeth on the sand sculpture. He has been crafting these works of art at the S.C. State Fair for over 30 years.
Brandi Glenn blows air into a straw to maneuver sand while creating the sculpture. She is often seen using nontraditional sculpting tools.