Tributes paid to 'wonderful friend' and beach sand artist Marc Treanor

Marc Treanor from Pembrokeshire was known for creating impressive artworks in the sand at beaches across the UK. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

A man from Pembrokeshire, who was well known for creating huge sand artworks on beaches, has died.

Marc Treanor, 57, started creating the sand patterns as a way to keep his children entertained on holiday but then went on to make a career out of it.

He made his artwork at beaches across the UK and had even spent lockdown producing a 100ft sand mural to celebrate the summer solstice.

Andy Desmond, a friend of Mr Treanor's, described the death as "a sad, sad shock."

A green campaign group, Pembrokeshire Eco Champions also paid tribute to the late artist. They described him as a "wonderful friend" whose death was a "huge loss."

A friend of Marc Trenor's said the artist's death had come as "a sad, sad shock." Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

His sand art career originally started as a way to entertain his children while on holiday in Cornwall. Mr Treanor previously said he had decided to replicate crop circles in the sand with sticks and rakes as a way to "do something a little different" with his family. As his career grew, Mr Treanor took commissions and made artwork for events such as marriage proposals, birthdays and wedding anniversaries.

Marc's artworks featured on beaches around the UK but started out as a way to entertain his children while on holiday. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

In 2018, Mr Treanor spent more than two hours using just a stick and rope to make a 120ft high artwork of St Caranog in the sands.Grain by grain, he intricately replicated the stained glass window in Saint Caranog church near the beach at Llangrannog, west Wales.Speaking at the time, he said: "I have always been fond of the statue of St Caranog overlooking the beach and thought it would be nice to somehow incorporate him."I found the stained glass window in the church and thought it was a beautiful image to recreate."So I began at midday and finished at around two, meaning there was around three hours until finished product got washed away by the tide."