Clemens' sandpainting career blossomed at the age of 13 during his summer vacations from the State School.
Clemens inserted the colored grains of sand into small glass drug bottles using fishing hooks and hickory sticks.
He used no glue, relying on pressure from the other sand grains alone to held the artwork together.
Once the artwork was complete, he sealed the bottle with a stopper and wax.
Sometimes, Clemens created his images upside down.
Upon completion, he would securely stopper the bottle, and flip it right side up.
The most complex of his designs could take up to a year to complete.
At that time his artworks sold for $57.
Today, they are worth tens of thousands of dollars.
During his lifetime, it is thought that Clemens produced hundreds of his sand bottles but few survive today.
It is believed that Andrew Clemens is the inventor and possibly the sole practitioner of his art form.
you could see his work atCowans Auctions.
