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Toland Sand was born in Berkeley, California, in 1949. His early years were marked by the natural beauty of California, particularly the Carmel and Big Sur coastlines, which left a lasting impression on him. In 1954, his family moved due to his father’s career with the CIA, but they frequently returned to Carmel Valley, solidifying his connection to the area.
Sand spent a significant part of his youth in Greece, attending high school in Athens. This period was influential, as he was surrounded by ancient and contemporary architecture and sculpture. The proximity to historical sites like the Parthenon and the Temple at Sounion deeply inspired his artistic vision. He graduated from Colorado College in 1971 with a degree in Philosophy.
Sand’s career in glass art began in 1976 when he took over a small stained glass business from a friend. Initially working with stained glass, he transitioned to glass blowing and eventually to constructed glass sculpture by 1985. Sand is largely self-taught, continually expanding his artistic and technical skills throughout his career.
He established his studio in rural New Hampshire in 1984, where he continues to create his distinctive glass sculptures. Sand also maintains a studio in Carmel Valley, California, where he spends part of the year.
Sand’s work is noted for its innovative use of dichroic glass and polished crystal. His pieces often explore the interplay between interior and exterior spaces, drawing inspiration from both natural and man-made forms. His time in Greece, surrounded by ancient marble quarries and historical monuments, significantly influenced his artistic direction.
Toland Sand has received numerous accolades throughout his career. Some of his notable awards and recognitions include:
Sand has also completed many high-profile commissions for prominent clients, including the CEOs of McDonald’s USA & Japan, IBM, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Carpet Master, and UPS. His works are part of glass and art collections worldwide.
Sand lives with his wife, Debbe Palmer, in New Hampshire. They have five children who are scattered across the country. His life and work are split between his New Hampshire studio and his retreat in Carmel Valley, California.
Toland Sand’s contributions to the field of glass art are significant, marked by a continuous pursuit of innovation and excellence. His works, which blend technical mastery with profound artistic vision, continue to captivate audiences and collectors around the world.
“I think of myself as an artist who is enthusiastic about architecture, color, and light. As a curious guy with a degree in philosophy, I had no idea where this journey would take me when a friend of mind gave me his stained glass business in 1977. And so it’s been an incredible exploration of all the qualities that make up glass as a medium. I’ve grown up artistically with what is called the modern glass movement. I’ve been inspired by my peers as well as by artists such as Isamu Noguchi, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Mark Rothko. I inhabit the symbolic, the cosmic, and the mystery. I love that images can come and go, are made bold, and then disappear; are reflective and then not. The energetic and mystical side comes from the teachings of my spiritual Master, Sant Kirpal Singh, by whose instructions I meditate every day in my personal effort to connect to and be receptive to the vibration of the mysteries.
Calligraphy has always been attractive to me. Eastern ideograms. Greek letters. Arabic writing. So keeping those in mind I feel free to create my own symbols that at once have meaning in their elegance as graphics and at once maintaining the sense that language and lettering can lead one into other consciousnesses and cultures; other ways of seeing things and their interconnectedness, that can be startling and fascinating. Two years in Taiwan as a child and five years in Athens, Greece as a teenager gave me the sense of otherness and the exploration thereof. How can one not be affected by marble ruins and hints of what life once was, by Greek lettering, the very language that allowed democracy to come to be, bringing with it a certain freedom; the very freedom that has allowed me to express my artistic vision for the past 35 years? Rice paper, gold and silver leaf, acrylic paints. Traditional and novel decorating avenues. These are the things that inspire me to keep up the exploration of what can be done in and with glass.
The mainstay of my work is optical crystal, leaded and non-leaded, as well as dichroic coated glass, tinted adhesive, and acrylic paints. Everything is hand worked and shaped by hand. Then comes a process to bring out the brilliance of glass, with grinding in ever finer stages until polish is achieved. I look for balance, harmony, and symmetry, with an accent of deconstructed form. Each piece takes more or less six weeks to complete, starting with a drawing using large white paper ripped from a roll, pencil, ruler, and compass, in the traditional three views. It’s exciting for me to see how the finished piece measures up to my concept, that begins with inspiration and an idea and ends up as a complex construction made more complex by reflection, refraction, and the dance of light and color in a three dimensional setting.
I’ve lived and worked on four acres in very rural New Hampshire, a place of full seasons and rolling hills, in a studio I built in 1984. It does seem a bit contradictory to be creating contemporary sculpture in such a place, but in reality the sculptures are a reflection of my inner space and what grabs my attention. I could be doing them anywhere. Actually, I don’t question exactly where they come from. It’s the mystery. So I leave it at that and am grateful for this fantastic journey I’ve been on in my quest to make a living doing something I love. My wife Debbe is my partner in business and in life.”
Meredith, New Hampshire Studio Tour
Toland Sand Interview
Toland Sand · YourTown TV · Host Tom Hood

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