DATE: Thursday, September 25, 1997          TAG: 9709250043

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ROY A. BAHLS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   61 lines

SAND SCULPTING SECRETS MASTER OF THE ART WILL CREATE A WORK AT BEACH

MASTER SCULPTOR Rich Varano knows what it takes to win the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival's Sandcastle Classic.

Five years ago, his ``Zen and the Art of Marine Maintenance'' took top honors in the classic's solo masters division. The detailed design featured King Neptune meditating in a lotus position, levitating over crashing waves in front of a leaping dolphin.

Varano will be one of three award-winning sculptors arriving early this weekend to compete and share the art's finer points with schoolchildren.

``It's not brain surgery and it's not copyrighted or anything,'' said Varano, 39. ``Anybody can do it and it's not dangerous, so we do encourage people to do it at home.''

A professional sculptor for 10 years, he owns Varano Sand Sculpture Co. in Orlando, Fla. His company creates works for special events, corporate parties and trade shows as well as doing displays at malls and fairs and competitions across the country.

He won the Peoples Choice Award at the World Championship Sand Sculpture Competition in British Columbia, Canada, and the Creatures of the Sea Category at the U.S Open Sandcastle Competition in San Diego. Next month, Varano goes for his third win in a row at the South Padre Island Sandcastle Days in Texas.

One of the many tricks of the trade Varano will address in Virginia Beach is how to stack sand.

``One of the real tricks of sand sculpture is why sand sticks together or why it doesn't,'' he said. ``How you use water and pack the sand is the whole thing.''

His tip: Work with the wettest sand possible.

Other basics he'll touch upon include making solid foundations and arches, sculpting ideas and what tools to use - cake or plastic knives, popsicle sticks, trowels, even broken pieces of sea shell.

``Patience is the sand sculptor's best tool to use,'' he said, ``because sand sculpture is just like anything else, the more you do it the better you get. With the possible exception of golfing. At least for me.''

This year's Sandcastle Classic theme is ``Neptune's Galaxy of Games.'' Varano isn't sure what he'll create, but he's always favored castles.

``I like the fantasy element,'' he said. ``They're always different and I can make them up as I go and put in all the elements and fine details like tiny windows, broken brickwork, vines climbing up the walls and then the statues and gargoyles. They just captivate the imagination. I find when I do the castles, people will stand there and gawk a lot longer.''

Varano believes more people don't build sand sculptures because they lack the patience.

``They did it as a kid and it fell down and they just gave up,'' he said.

The classic takes place on the Oceanfront between Sixth and 10th streets. The weekend also includes an arts and crafts show, surfing and volleyball competitions, fireworks and a parade. ILLUSTRATION: Graphics

Neptune Festival XXIV Boardwalk Celebration

SANDCASTLE CLASSIC EVENTS

[For complete graphics, please see microfilm]

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