Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlene Lanzel.
Charlene, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
All of my life, all I ever wanted to be was an artist…
I started drawing and painting at my kindergarten easel. Both of my parents were artistic, and guided me to draw and paint. I also loved watching short animation films, shown on PBS. My first experience seeing a sand animation was on Sesame Street, where I saw an animation of the alphabet by artist Eli Noyes.
I moved to New York City in 1987 and began my art career as a retail window display artist. That led to mural painting, which was also a part of the job. I continued my career as a muralist for about 15 years, The emergence of digital technology eventually impacted the business of mural painting. Work became scarce, and I needed something new to do for a living.
Sand animation entered my life in 2010, when someone mentioned to me that the art form had become desirable for events. Performers of this type of art were very rare. I remembered the sand alphabet film from my childhood, and how much I adored it. I decided to give sand animation a try.
I experimented with building an illuminated sand box, attached to an overhead video camera and projector. I spent about a year teaching myself sand animation techniques through experimentation. It was extremely time consuming and difficult. I almost gave up. Sometimes practicing would make me cry. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to do it, and I was already quite advanced with making art! Eventually, I created my first sand animation video, “Valentine”, which was synced to a musical soundscape. I posted the video on my YouTube channel, and two weeks later I was asked to perform at Roseland in NYC for Cirque du Soleil’s opening night party for their Zarkana show. My career as a sand artist just took off after that. I’ve been creating sand animation videos and performing live animations ever since.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a professional artist is not the easiest career path. An entrepreneurial mind, as well as a good skill set are required to be a success. It’s not for everyone. Some extremely talented artists never get noticed, while others with less skill get all of the attention. Good business sense makes all of the difference. Shameless self-promotion is essential in today’s cyber world. Who you know makes a huge impact.
There are times when work flow slows down, and other times when you’re so busy you can’t handle it all. It is important to save money when you can for those slow periods. Take on as much as you can during the busy seasons… but, don’t work yourself to death. Find a balance that works well for you.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Sand animation requires a huge amount of time, focus, practice and patience. The scene transitions are the most difficult part of the work. A smooth flow from one image to the next is essential. Often, the sand has a mind of its own, and dictates what the next image can be. Syncing the images to music is also challenging. There’s a lot of editing, back and forth, until the music and the images find balance.
I spend about three to four weeks developing a new sand art story, only to be performed once. Whoever is in that room gets to see the effort. It is a very special performance, and considered a “wow-factor” for events. Sand animation symbolism becomes a visual language. Creating flowing images with sand, on an illuminated glass table, is an experiential live dance. Sand animation is projected large screen, in motion, for audiences to enjoy.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Sand animation is not just creating images on a light box. You will need to learn music editing, as well as storyboarding and film making programs to bring a sand animation into existence. You will also need the smooth flow of a dancer to make it beautiful to watch.
This is a very advanced art form, not for the casual or unskilled. A huge amount of your time will be taken up practicing. It is very beautiful and relaxing to watch a sand animation artist perform, but can be very stressful to create. Much like ice skating… everyone thinks they can just do it with ease, because the hard work and time that professionals put into it make it look so easy. But, don’t give up! Keep trying, keep practicing. You can do anything you set your mind to.
Pricing:
- Custom Live Sand Animation Performance = $5000 – $10,000
- Custom Sand Animation Video = $3,500 – $8,500
- Sand Art Fashion = $35 – $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sand-artist.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlene_lanzel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandArtistCharleneLanzel
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CharleneLanzel/videos
- Other: https://vimeo.com/charlenelanzel
Image Credits
Photos courtesy of the artist.
