Exotic Sands

Exotic Sands moving sand art pictures are the brainchild of Bill Tabar. Bill’s creative inspiration is deeply rooted in his love for the mountains and captured in every one of his Exotic Sands pictures. Bill grew up in Sugarbush, Vermont and Boulder, Colorado, and eventually settled in Park City, Utah.

As a young boy, Bill treasured a dry-sand picture called “The Magic Window” by Wham-O which his mom gave him on his 8th birthday. Bill played with it endlessly-- taking it apart and putting it back together. From a tender age Bill changed the world around him, alway inventing new ways of doing things all the while saying his famous quote, “Me and my inventions.”

Bill earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Entrepreneurship from the University of Utah in the early 1980’s while skiing for the UTES ski team. As an avid skier Bill spent many afternoons on the slopes mesmerized by the beauty of sparkling sunlight glistening off of the snow-capped mountains.

In 1984, Bill’s mother brought him a gift from Paris; a dry version of “The Magic Window”. Looking at it through the eyes of an inventive adult, Bill imagined ways to improve it. For fun, he decided to craft his own moving sand art picture from local sand and wood and added water to create a fluid living picture. The results were magical. Bill was so excited he created four different sand combinations and signed himself up for his first trade show in 1985. The trade show was a roaring success!

Bill Tabar’s moving sand art pictures took the country by storm. After patenting his invention, Exotic Sands remains ranked as the #1 handcrafted gift sold in the United States.