~ The Advocate Asks ~

Saugus Sand Sculptor Deborah Barrett-Cutulle talks about how she will create works of art on Revere Beach this week

  Editor’s Note: For this week’s column, we interviewed Saugus resident Deborah Barrett-Cutulle, who will be showcasing her artistic talents this weekend at the 20th Annual International Sand Sculpting Festival at Revere Beach, which was set to begin today (Friday, July 19). Deborah, 65, grew up in Everett and is a 1977 graduate of Everett High School. She later attended the Art Institute of Boston, where she received an associate’s degree in 1984. Her husband, Artie Cutulle, grew up in Revere and graduated in 1981 from Revere High School. He’s a chef and his family owns a restaurant business, Al’s Cafes in Boston. Debbie and Artie have been married since 1996. They have a daughter, Talia, 25, who travels between Saugus and New York and has embarked on a career in music and theater. Debbie describes her daughter as “quite a singer” who sings the National Anthem at the sand sculpting festival. She began singing when she was nine years old. Debbie and her family moved to Saugus in 2005 – the same year she got involved in sand sculpting at the Sand Sculpting Festival. Besides her passion for sculpting works of art in the sand, Debbie enjoys karaoke – something she has done for three decades. She works as a DJ or teams up with her husband to host karaoke with Deb and Art’s Entertainment. Highlights of this week’s interview follow.

Q: Please tell me how you became an artist.

A: This is a cool story of how I got into the field of art in general. My mom was a single mom raising three kids. I was working at a Jack in the Box when I graduated from Everett High School. I used to paint the windows at the Jack in the Box in Everett. I painted Jack in the Box characters for Christmas. I loved doing it.

One day a photographer named Bruce [DiLoreto] from Nordel Photography Studio in Everett came in and complimented me on my window art. He asked me if I did it for a living. I said “no.”

He said “Get yourself back to that high school and get yourself help. And you get yourself a portfolio.”

Two years out of high school, he got the ball rolling for me. I took a night course at Everett High School because of him. I learned so much from that night course. I created about six pieces of art for a portfolio. Because of that, I ended up going to the Art Institute of Boston. Bruce from Nordel Photography inspired me to make a career as an artist.

I am a skilled illustrator with more than 20 years as a freelance artist. My work has been published in the greeting card, advertising and publishing industries. And recently I have been doing art for children’s books. I also enjoy creating murals and carving logos in the sand.

Q: How did you get involved in the world of sand sculpting?

A: I had an artistic background, which is how I found my way in there. To get into the sand sculpting industry, you have to be invited in. You have to go to the beach and start playing in the sand. So, when I found out about it, I went down to the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival and began meeting people. They offered me a place in the sand and my involvement continued to grow from there.

I developed a lot of experience by sculpting logos for sponsors. These are businesses that wanted to advertise at the festival.

Q: What was the first sand sculpture you ever did?

A: I did a care bear in 2005. I participated in the amateur competition back then.

Q: How many years now have you been going to Revere to participate in the sand sculpting? Is it every year?

A: I’ve only been competing since 2016. From 2005 to 20016, it was all about logo work and getting sponsors. There were businesses that paid for different size logos and art. That’s how I got involved.

Q: Do you have a favorite sand sculpture you have done over the years?

A: My favorite would have to be “The Colors in the Mind,” which I did with Steve Topazio of Tiverton, R.I., in 2016. As we were creating it, each spot on the pallet represented a color by the sculptor. The apple was for red. We sculpted a carrot for orange and a banana for yellow. Green was a frog. And a police officer was blue. There were no actual colors, but the color was in the mind. It was a very original concept. People looked at the object and the color was in the mind.

I will always have originality in my work. I may not be one of the top dogs in the industry, but I always strive for originality

Q: Have you participated in other sand sculpting competition events besides on Revere Beach?

A: I’ve done a couple of others. I’ve done Sanding Ovations in Treasure Island, Fla., for about 11 years. I went to Virginia Beach for two years to participate in a doubles competition. At Hampton Beach [N.H.], I’ve done some logo work. I’ve done some work for Steve Topazio in Rhode Island. We did a doubles together in Virginia Beach

Q: From a personal perspective, what motivates the sand sculptor? What’s the goal? What’s the reward?

A: It’s getting your art out there – larger than life – it’s amazing to be able to create ideas of your own in such a large format. I started when I was 41. As I approach the retirement age, I would like to do more of it. It’s something I really enjoy. It’s fascinating meeting people from around the world.

Q: What countries do some of these competitors come from?

A: Japan, the Netherlands, everywhere – I met somebody from Russia – it’s safe to say from all over the country and from all over the world.

Sand sculpting is good money. There are some sculptors who can make $5,000 to $6,000 for one event. They pay us well. They take care of us. It’s an amazing event. They take care of the food and lodging. People involved in the event are really treated well.

Q: Please tell me about this year at Revere Beach. You mentioned you are going to go down there on Sunday and that the competition gets underway on Wednesday.

A: For this year’s event, I will spend about 30 to 35 hours, working on the beach Wednesday through Saturday. That’s an average of seven to eight hours a day for the four days, with a break for lunch.

Q: What is this year’s project? What was the inspiration?

A: I don’t want to talk about it, because I’d like to save a little element of surprise for the people attending the festival. I don’t like to talk about what I’m doing because things do change. I might change my mind. I don’t like to talk about it until it’s done.

Q: Okay, that’s fair. Please tell me about some of the technical aspects, from scratch.

A: I create an idea. I draw it and I put it in the sand. I will arrive at the beach with my plastic forms. We take a pile of sand and compress the sand with our feet and start cutting the sculpture into the sand. My interest this year is to do something abstract.

Q: Once you complete sculpting your creation in the sand, there’s something you apply to protect the sculpture. Right?

A: Yes. It’s 90 percent water and 10 percent Elmer’s Glue. But it goes on only when it’s finished.

Q: What’s the shelf life of a sand sculpture? Do you have to take it down after the festival? Or do you leave it up and allow Mother Nature – the tides and weather – to take care of things?

A: If the sand sculpture were indoors, it would last for months. Outside, the elements of the weather will destroy it – the wind and the pelting rain.

Q: To be good at it, do you have to practice year round? Or is this something you do when you go to Revere Beach in July? Are there festivals in other parts of the country that you participate in?

A: You don’t have to practice, but it’s a good idea. A lot of sand sculptors get the practice in by working the events. It’s a matter of what you want to design.

I do practice before I get out there to the beach. I like to be prepared for when I get to the event. I have a 4 by 4 foot sandbox in my yard. I like to practice before I hit the sand. Some people don’t know what they’re going to do until they get there. I’ve had sand in my yard for quite a while. I built the sandbox last year.

Q: Any advice that you would offer to somebody who is considering the art of sand sculpting?

A: The most important thing you can do is go to the beach and start playing with a block of sand. The tools could be kitchen tools, plastic knives or artist tools. Many of us create our own tools. We work with kitchen tools, masonry tools and artist pallet knives.

Q: Do you work with any of Artie’s kitchen utensils?

A: Yes! I have. I’ve worked with a brown, square plastic flat tool. It was Artie’s kitchen scraper. One day, he asked me if I had seen it because he couldn’t find it. I found it to be a useful tool in sand sculpting.

Q: How long will you continue the art of sand sculpting?

A: I’m going to be there as long as my health and my strength allows. I do the best I can with the strength I have and I pray a lot. We’ve got to stay strong and healthy. I really strive to become physically stronger. Sand sculpting is a very grueling art form of work. It’s difficult. I wish I could go as high on a sculpture as I see others go

Q: How old are you? And how much longer can you do this?

A: I’m 65 right now. I hope I can do it for a few more years and be an inspiration to others. There’s people older than me in the industry. I know an individual from Texas in his early 80s. They call him “Amazing Walter” – Walter McDonald of South Padre Island, Tex. He’s an inspiration to me.

My goal is to get stronger. Personal progress is the most important thing to me – not competition. I’m competing with myself, from year to year. If I’m not showing any progress, then it’s time for me to throw in the towel. But I’m not throwing in the towel any time soon. I love it too much.

Q: And your work seems to be popular with a lot of the people who go to the event.

A: Yes. I have won the People’s Choice Award three times – the first time in 2016, when I competed with Steve. And I have won it for the last two years. I enjoy being a part of the Annual International Sand Sculpting Festival. It’s one of the largest sand sculpting events in the world and it takes place in our own backyard – on Revere Beach – America’s oldest beach.