Take a closer look at Indy-based sand and glue artist Derrick Carter

His art is all over the city, including Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but one might be surprised to learn what materials he uses to create it.

Derrick Carter — also known as The Art in Carter — is an Indianapolis-based sand and glue artist currently working out of the Harrison Center. His work consists of elaborate portraits of people, landmarks, words and dazzling skylines crafted only from shimmering, colorful sand and his personal concoction of glue.

“Sand comes from the Earth; God created that,” Carter said. “So, me using sand is almost like taking a piece of God — or whatever higher being is — of what they create and showing that to the world.” 

Carter’s latest work, presented in the form of a gallery exhibition at the Harrison Center,1505 N. Delaware St., is entitled “Thinking Out Loud,” Carter said in an exclusive interview with the Recorder. The exhibition took about six months to complete and is deeply personal to him, drawing inspiration from his lived experience and focusing on an exploration of color and skylines.

“‘Thinking Out Loud’ was solely about me; me speaking to the universe, trying to get guidance on where to go, how to proceed, how to keep moving forward,” he said. “I’m a new father, I’m a new husband, and both of those jobs are very difficult to manage at the same time, and it was starting to tear me down.”

Each day, Carter does his best to create while balancing a full-time job at Carrier Commercial Service and caring for his family. He said his schedule is broken down so that he can spend every spare moment in the studio working on his art. 

But every morning, as Carter takes his son to childcare, he is greeted by an “array of beautiful colors” in the sky. Each morning, the sky is different, and he said he interprets that as, “it’s not over and change always comes.”

The pieces in his Harrison exhibition showcase these ideas in an array of glimmering sunrises and sunsets, beach scenes and portraits capturing minute moments of joy and peace.

Sand and glue obviously are not traditional mediums used in art, but that is part of the point, Carter said.

Growing up, he was always interested in art and in drawing but did not take it seriously until it was nearly too late. Then as a high school senior, Carter was in an accident that nearly took his life. He said he suffered a major brain injury and shattered every bone in his right side except for his arm and hand — God’s message to him that art was his gift.
When he returned to school, Carter said he had a final art project due. His teacher told him he could do whatever he wanted if he did not use any traditional mediums — except for a pencil.

“So, my first piece was called ‘Brothers,’ which sits in my mother’s house now,” he said. “It was made from a glue stick and gravel.”

From there, Carter said he began researching and studying the best sands and glues to use, finding ways to reinforce his canvases and learning proper layering. However, his biggest challenge when working with sand and glue is not the mess, surprisingly. It is longevity, he said.

“Well, the challenge with this medium is longevity — is trying to prove longevity of the piece,” he said. “Because buyers, they don’t want this to dissolve in two years. So, I had to do a lot of studying on the background of these materials I was using, type of glue, type of paint and what to put down over it to make it last forever.”

Although Carter may not be the first artist to work with sand, he said he is one of very few artists who create permanent two-dimensional artwork and portraiture with sand.

“There is sand art out there,” Carter said. “One of the most famous sand art is a ritual that they do overseas, and they create images of passed ones on the floors, but they wash it away,” Carter said. 

Although “Thinking Out Loud” is no longer on view at the Harrison Center, guests and interested buyers can still view it online at harrisoncenter.org/thinking-out-loud-derrick-carter and find other pieces of his work at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Hotel Indy. Going forward, Carter said he wants to shift his artistic style from skylines and water by trying his hand at more difficult landscapes such as foliage and trees.

Contact staff writer Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848 pr chloegm@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @chloe_mcgowanxx.

The post Take a closer look at Indy-based sand and glue artist Derrick Carter appeared first on Indianapolis Recorder.