In recent weeks, early risers near Keller Beach have been surprised to find large murals that seemed to appear out of nowhere, etched into the sand at low tide.
At first these murals seemed to be a mystery but soon word spread that they’re the work of Brighton Denevan, an artist who spends long early morning hours carving geometric patterns into the wet sand with rakes before the tide returns and wipes it all away like nature’s Etch-a-Sketch.
On a recent Monday, Point Richmond resident Aracely Knox called down from her balcony overlooking Kozy Kove to invite Denevan and his companions up for coffee and a light breakfast. She explained to them the area’s history and how she grew up there and married into the Knox family for which the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline is co-named.
As her grandson looked down from his window, Knox told Denevan, a recent transplant from Santa Cruz to San Leandro, that when she was a teen living near Wildcat Canyon, her parents didn’t want her visiting Point Richmond because of “Hell’s Angels and corner gangs.”
Brighton Denevan said he often designs as he goes, making adjustments as nature demands. It’s a fleeting job, as high tide soon erases it. Credit: Brian Krans for Richmondside
“How is it now?” Denevan asked.
“It’s cleaned up, but it’s still cool,” Knox said, adding that she recently connected with a neighbor over Devevan’s art.
“Oh, good,” Denevan replied. “I just got here, so I’m learning what’s going on.”
His father, Jim Denevan, is a world-renowned sand artist. Denevan told Richmondside he used to film his dad at work, then decided to pick up the rake himself during the pandemic. He’s since been commissioned by celebrities such as Ed Sheeran and had pieces incorporating song lyrics reshared on social media by the likes of California legends The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
As he was transitioning to being an “East Bay guy,” Denevan said he used satellite imagery to find a beach with the right conditions for his art.
San Leandro sand artist Brighton Denevan said he used satellite images to find the right East Bay beach for his unique temporary murals. He had an “ah ha” moment when he found Keller Beach. Credit: Brian Krans for Richmondside
“I went up and down trying to find a place, and the beaches were a bit smaller than what I was used to in the Santa Cruz area, so it took a while,” he said. “Finding this place was kind of an ‘aha’ moment, like, ‘Oh, this will work.’ This is a nice-size place with a bit of topography and some hills to get up on and see it as well. It’s nice that people can see it right from the road there, because in a lot of places, people have no idea what’s going on.”
Because he’s dealing with a canvas that erases itself, Denevan is at Keller Beach before dawn, typically between 4 a.m. to 5 a.m.. He draws inspiration from a lifelong obsession with mazes and intricate, detailed shapes, creating crop circle-like patterns and concentric-shaped flowers.
“As people were waking up, they’re kind of surprised by it. So that was fun, and it took a couple days for people to figure out what was going on,” he said. “It was like they figured out the alien had landed.”
He often designs as he goes but nature has final say
Denevan said he often makes up a design as he goes, but the environment impacts the end result, as he has to consider wind, the softness of the sand or various other elements.
On this particular day, Denevan was joined by longtime collaborator Avery Kintner — who helped found the Pismo Beach Sand Art Festival — and Manan Bhatia, a San Jose resident who reached out to Denevan on Instagram and showed up to help.
They joined him in the Knox family’s garden, where Knox offered them coffee and avocado toast and showed them pictures of their daughter’s wedding on the beach they had just finished raking into a work of art.
After a recent work session, sand artist Brighton Denevan, wearing a top hat a fan of his art gave him, got a spur of the moment invite to the home of Aracely Knox (second from right) for coffee and avocado toast. They’re joined by Avery Kintner (right), who helped found the Pismo Beach Sand Art Festival, and Manan Bhatia, a San Jose resident who volunteered to help Denevan after seeing his work on Instagram. Credit: Brian Krans for Richmondside
Residents like Knox and other beachgoers have been receptive and supportive, including one who gave Denevan his now-signature black top hat.
At about 8 a.m., Kintner gently warned Denevan that the tide was coming in, slowly cutting off their clean escape route from the disappearing sand of Kozy Kove back to Keller Beach, so it was time for them to leave.
“It took a couple days for people to figure out what was going on. It was like they figured out the alien had landed.”
— Sand artist Brighton Denevan
Knox encouraged Denevan to reach out before the next sand art session so she could make them “a proper breakfast.”
“That’s so sweet,” Denevan said. “I don’t want to go to any other beaches. This is where I like to be.”
Sand artist Brighton Denevan and two volunteers rake a design into the sand at Keller Beach on a recent early morning in July. They have to start by 4 or 5 a.m. to complete a mural before the tide comes in and erases it. Credit: Brian Krans for Richmondside
“Well, I would be happy to, and if you bring a crew, I’ll cook for everybody. Feed you guys. That’s the least I could do,” Knox said.
“I think we’ll be back,” Denevan said.
The three-person crew returned to the sands of Kozy Korner, picked up their rakes and scaled the sandstone cliffs to get back to Keller Beach. Denevan lingered behind, flying his drone to capture video for social media, where his work lives longer than the ocean allows.
Denevan, Kintner and Bhatia looked down at their creation from a small hill along Dornan Drive, taking a few last photos as the waves slowly and inevitably eradicated their work — until next time.
Artist Brighton Denevan at Keller Beach in Point Richmond with the tools of his trade, rakes and a drone for taking pictures of his design before it disappears with the tide. Credit: Brian Krans for Richmondside
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