Brad Goll Karen Fralich

Place: Guelph

Born: 1994

Biography:

Karen Fralich is a Canadian artist known for sand sculpting. She was born in Guelph, Canada in 1994. Fralich began sculpting as a teenager after being enrolled in a seven-week pottery course by her mother. She was introduced to sand sculpting in 1994 while working in a pottery studio. Fralich spent four years training in the field while working as a manager of a McDonald's restaurant. She has been sand sculpting full-time since 2000. One of her first commissioned pieces was a 500-tonne recreation of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. Fralich is a five-time world champion sand sculptor. She participated in an international sand sculpting competition for the first time in 1998, competing in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. 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. Fralich has created numerous pieces for the Canadian National Exhibition. She is also known for her work with Brad Goll, with whom she has collaborated on various projects, including the sculpture 'Wild Animals of Africa'.