Artist Bios
Karen Fralich – Ontario, Canada
Karen was introduced to sand sculpture while working in a pottery studio in 1994 and immediately became addicted. Thirty-one years later, the love affair continues! Although she has no formal art training, her passion for sand sculpting and all things gritty, challenging, and physical led her to embrace this unusual career.
In 1998, she entered her first international sand sculpting contest, and by 2001, she was working full-time as a freelance sculptor, travelling all over the world. She specializes in fantasy and whimsical themes but loves to sculpt just about anything!
To date, Karen has competed in over 160 Master Level International sand sculpture contests and won many titles, including 30 First Place Titles and 5 World Championship titles. Her work takes her around the world, collaborating with sand sculpture companies and friends in 14 countries and counting.
In addition to her busy competition schedule, Karen organizes many sand sculpting events in Canada. The Canadian National Exhibition, the Pan Am Games and Parks New Brunswick are a few clients. She was also the lead consultant and one of the judges on all 4 seasons of the hit CBC series “Race Against the Tide” from 2021 to 2024.
Karen is very excited to help organize the 1st Annual Bay of Fundy International Sand Sculpting Competition. The sand on New River Beach is fantastic for sculpting! She loves New Brunswick, especially the very friendly people and amazing cuisine!
Abe Waterman – Prince Edward Island, Canada
Abe Waterman was once from Prince Edward Island, Canada, but now wanders aimlessly, peering in at the absurdities of life, of which there are many, sand sculpture being a fine example.
TEAM 1
Dan Belcher – St Louis, USA
Dan has been creating professional sand sculptures since 1990, learning from many pioneers of the art form, and now collaborating with a family of many of the best and most talented sand sculptors from around the World.
During this time, he has won 14 world Championship in the Team, Doubles, and Solos categories, and competed in scores of other contests and hundreds of professional projects across the USA and around the world including Japan, China, Denmark, Italy, Australia, Great Britain, Brazil, and many other wonderful destinations. He loves the balance of the physical and creative sides of working with sand.
He is also a licensed Landscape Architect with a degree from Kansas State University.
Thomas Koet – Florida, USA
Thomas Koet has been sculpting for 27 years. He is a partner in Sandsational sand sculpting. (see Instagram for recent photos #sandsationalsand or go to sandsational.com) You might recognize Thomas from the TV show “Race Against the Tide” because, in 2023, Thomas and his Dutch partner, Anique, were the winning team. In 2010, he became the World Champion of Sand Sculpting, competing against 27 artists from 17 countries. At the 2018 World Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, Thomas won third place. Thomas was crowned the “Best Sand Sculptor of the Netherlands” for a national TV show in 2019. Large events give Thomas the opportunity to make his art on an impressive scale. Originally from the Netherlands, Thomas holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Design Engineering. He has served as a designer and sculptor for some of Europe’s and North America’s largest sand sculpting events. Thomas’s artistic goal is to create extraordinary sculptures of the highest quality possible.
His ability and talent have taken him all over Europe, the U.S., as well as China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, the Middle East, and Canada.
TEAM 2
David Ducharme – British Columbia, Canada
In 2003, David took part in the World Championship of Sand Sculpture held in Harrison, BC. This event marked a turning point in his career, as he met several talented sculptors, which led to opportunities in international competitions and commissions. Since then, he’s journeyed across the globe, joining various sand, ice, and snow sculpting events alongside a community of amazing artists.
Susanne Ruseler – Netherlands
Susanne Ruseler was born in Rotterdam and began her sculpting journey in 2003 while studying biology and living in Utrecht. She discovered a deep love for sculpting and found herself drawn more and more into the art.
After receiving a master’s degree in animal behavior and ecology, she started her own sculpture company, expanding her craft beyond sand to include snow, ice, foam, and concrete. Since 2008, she has been sculpting full-time.While she enjoys switching between materials, sand remains her favourite. Susanne travels the world working on projects, events, and competitions.
TEAM 3
Isabelle Gasse – Quebec, Canada
Isabelle Gasse was nudged into finding her artistic destiny at the tender age of 16, thanks to an art teacher who encouraged her to compete in a local amateur snow sculpting event in Québec, Canada, her hometown.
A fast-rising professional in the snowy and icy art, she has since been shaping her frosty fantasies in worldwide events, the Ice Hotel of Quebec and Sweden among others, and has brought home lots of awards. Monumental and ephemeral sculptures are a way for her to sow a little more poetry in this world and pay homage to its fascinating complex simplicity.
Since 2021, in a move from snow suits to sandals, she has swapped her ice-carving gadgets for a beach bum toolkit and is now bringing her well-mastered surrealist style to many sand events. She participated in the 3rd season of the Race Against The Tide TV show and is excited to fight against this mythical tide with her partner, Guy-Olivier Deveau.
Guy-Olivier Deveau – Quebec, Canada
Guy-Olivier began his journey into sand sculpting on the beaches of Magdalen Island, where he grew up. It was when he moved to Québec City that he met with professionals as an apprentice to hone his craft, and was introduced to ice and snow sculpting as well.
Since then, he has performed his art around the globe, often known for using dark and surreal themes as well as his technically challenging sculpture. Guy-Olivier is also the artistic director of the Hôtel de Glace, an ice hotel in Québec City.