He is Alive Sand Art! Sand artist Joe Castillo tells the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection without saying a single word,. Using only sand, light, shadow and his hands, Castillo slowly and skillfully illustrates Jesus’s torture, crucifixion, and resurrection. His illustrations are surprisingly detailed. The stripes on Jesus’s sides are particularly realistic-looking and gripping. So too are the details upon his tomb.
Castillo uses purple, blue and black tones in the background to project the dark subject matter. The music experience shares The Easter Story as Castillo unfolds his unique sand art presentation. In his deft hands, the story of Easter comes alive from the torture to the cross, from the grave to the risen Lord.
Can The Easter Story be Different this Year?
Joe Castillo is also able to weave scenes together in surprising ways. With a few swipes of his hands, he changes a wooden cross into the smooth, muscular arms of the Jesus. In just a few more, he changes a scene of hell into a beautiful night sky. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Castillo’s work, however, is the way in which he creates moods. The colored lights that Castillo uses to illuminate his scenes add different traits to each one. The eery red and yellow lights on his illustration of hell, bring the horror of it to life. Meanwhile, the beautiful blue light he uses to create his sky during his resurrection scene, and the warm yellow glow he gives to the stars that shine in it give it a comforting feel. Each illustration is deeply moving.
A new way to tell The Easter Story
Artist Joe Castillo did not start out inventing a new art form. From an early age, Joe showed talent as an artist, but he was not satisfied simply creating pictures. He told stories through his art. In the next twenty years, he founded and ran “The Advertising Library.” However, art was always his first love, and his desire was to use art to inspire and motivate others.
On a trip to a hardware store, he found sand spilling out of a bag. His imagination took charge, and he brought home a bag of sand, a light source and a piece of glass. With these, he fashioned his first light table. From those humble beginnings, Castillo began creating his signature sand art presentations.
With the use of lighting, sound, and sand, Castillo tells stories that both amaze and move audiences. Now in demand around the world, Castillo motivates and inspires audiences that include CEOs and presidents, kings and the neighbor next door. He uses his visual art presentation in corporate, religious and other settings. His sand artistry was so well received during the 2012 season of America’s Got Talent that he made it to the finalist stage as he, again and again, moved both audiences and the judges at each stage of the competition.
Joe Castillo’s sand art has won numerous awards. His work was also featured in “Turning the Tide,” a PBS documentary.
In his Easter presentation, Castillo begins with Jesus being beaten. His illustrations make the audience almost feel the whip on Jesus’ back. Then, with a few deft hand movements of wiping out and adding sand, Castillo creates his presentation. Each illustration draws in the audience as it moves the story along.
Sand pouring from Castillo’s hands becomes a brush in the hand of an artist, painting spectacular scenarios of sand given even more depth and substance by the play of light on the illustrations. With an extraordinary skill and control, Castillo morphs one illustration into the next and the next, each time, moving on the Easter presentation in ways that draw the audience into the story and the real meaning of Easter.
How do your hire a Christian Sand Artist?
Joe Castillo’s sand presentations come from a heart of a man of faith, an artist and a storyteller whose purpose is not just to entertain, through his presentations do that, but also to inspire. For more information on booking Sand Artist Joe Castillo call 615-283-0039.
