A Mark Lewis sand sculpture – Credit @LewisSandArt / SWNS

A part-time minister has gone viral for his lifelike beach sculptures that depict everyday items like a giant toothpaste tube and a pair of crocs.

Mark Lewis is passionate about sculpting sand into weird and wonderful forms—and says he loves to put a smile on people’s faces.

The Star Wars fan has sculpted Jabba The Hutt and R2D2 along with SpongeBob Squarepants for the kids.

“It’s all about bringing joy into the world and inciting a smile on someone’s face as they discover something unexpected on the beach,” said the 57-year-old Englishman.

“I also love making things tall. The higher the sculpture the more impressive it is—and we love it when people look at it, thinking how on earth did they do that!”

The clergyman from York began sand sculpting with his children back in 2010. Mark would take his two boys, Simeon and Ethan, down to Weymouth beach on the coast where a close friend lived.

“We graduated in our thinking from the standard digging a big hole or making bucket sand castles, and started thinking about making our creations look like something definitive.

A Mark Lewis sand sculpture – SWNS / @LewisSandArt

As his kids were really into Star Wars, they started with Darth Vader’s helmet and R2D2. Gradually, Mark developed ‘the sand sculpture bug‘.

“Me and the boys always liked trying to build something very unexpected that you wouldn’t find on the beach,” he told SWNS news agency. “The sculptures got more and more ambitious—and what was just a family hobby turned into a serious one.”

Mark Lewis loves bringing a smile to peoples faces with creations like Spongebob Squarepants – SWNS / @LewisSandArt

During the pandemic, Mark’s sister bought him a day-long sand sculpture training with a company called Sand In Your Eye, during which he learned professional techniques and which tools to use and when, which dramatically enhanced what he was able to do.

There aren’t many professional sand sculptures England, but the fleeting nature of the medium means his creations are short-lived.

“I do not mind though. By its nature, sand is temporary. It is going to disappear and get washed away, so as long as I have photographs it’s OK.”

Mark’s recent interactive sand sculpture—a pair of crocs that people can step into—went viral on social media, when people were taking pictures standing in his work and sharing them on Facebook group called ‘I love Weymouth and Portland’. After commenting in the group, Pastor Mark’s Social Media pages blew up (known by @LewisSandArt).

Mark Lewis inside his sand sculpture of a pair of crocs – SWNS

“Out of everything I’ve ever made on the beach, it’s pretty random and funny the crocs are what blew up.”

The longest time Mark has spent on a single sand sculpture on the beach is around nine hours—which was a massive Hogwarts castle built with the help of seven family members and friends.

Mark Lewis sand sculpture of Hogwarts – @LewisSandArt / SWNS

“You are limited by the daylight and the tide, or both—so you have to account for that,” he explained.

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Mark also recalled a project in Cambridge assisting the lead sculptor at Sand In Your Eye, Jamie Wardley, building King’s College Chapel. He was tasked with building The Bridge of Sighs over the river Cam, and called the “incredibly intricate job” the hardest he had ever done. It took the pair three days to complete it.

“I had to build it in a shopping centre, and we had to carry all the sand and equipment into the building in buckets. It was tons of sand, and two massive vans filled with equipment.

They worked for three thirteen hour days, and Mark called it “insane and very physical”.

“Architecture is quite difficult to do as there’s a lot of regularity to what you’re sculpting—so it’s a lot less forgiving if you make minor mistakes.”

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Mark loves to be on the beach, though, and explained that although every piece of art he makes is different, the foundations for building is the same every time: “You apply exactly the same principles whatever piece you are making.

“For example, you always work (from the) top down. If you don’t work like that, you’ll be destroying intricate detail you’ve created.”

“I remember trying to make a really tall candle, and it collapsed on me twice. It definitely happens.”

Although Mark loves creating his sculptures, he looks forward to interacting with people from all walks of life.

“People ask a lot of questions, and I like showing other kids and parents how to do it—and inspire others to have a go themselves. They can do more than they think!”

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