Karen Fralich | |
|---|---|
 in 2016 | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Known for | sand sculpture |
| Website | sandqube |
Karen Fralich is a Canadian artist known for sand sculpting. Based in Guelph, Ontario, she is a five-time sand sculpting world champion and has been a judge on the reality television show Race Against the Tide since 2021.
Fralich began sculpting as a teenager after being enrolled in a seven-week pottery course by her mother. [1] She was introduced to sand sculpting in 1994 while working in a pottery studio. [2] [3] Fralich spent four years training in the field while working as a manager of a McDonald's restaurant. [4] She has been sand sculpting full-time since 2000. [5] One of her first commissioned pieces was a 500-tonne recreation of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz . [2]
Fralich is a five-time world champion sand sculptor. [1] [6] She participated in an international sand sculpting competition for the first time in 1998, competing in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. [1] In 2004 she was named the First Place Solo World Champion at the same competition for a Haida-inspired entry that included recreations of First Nations elders. [5]
In addition to sand sculpting competitions and commissions, Fralich has created numerous pieces for the Canadian National Exhibition. In 2014 she was made a 100-tonne of a scene from The Empire Strikes Back . [7] Five years later she created a piece in honour of the Toronto Raptors following their NBA championship win. [1]
Fralich has been a judge on the Canadian reality television show Race Against the Tide since 2021. [2] She was initially hired as a consultant on the show, but she was moved to an on-camera role. [6]
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