Wonderscapes
A Wonderscape combines a handcrafted wooden tray, fine crystalline sand, and sculptural concrete forms used to create and erase temporary patterns.
Portland, Oregon studio
About Olander Earthworks
The original home of Wonderscapes and concrete Sand Spheres, handmade in Portland since 2008.
Olander Earthworks is a Portland studio founded by sculptor Andrew Lonnquist, inventor of the original Wonderscape and Olander's concrete Sand Sphere. Andrew and Sarah Lonnquist now co-own and lead the small studio team, making tactile art objects that bring sculpture, pattern, motion, and open-ended play together.
What we make
Tactile art made to move through sand
Olander makes tactile art objects for rolling, pressing, tracing, smoothing, and beginning again. Each product brings a different combination of weight, texture, movement, and temporary pattern.
Shop Wonderscapes
Sand Pattern Forms
Andrew created Olander's original concrete Sand Sphere in 2008. Alongside Wonks and Cones, these forms give the hand different movements and leave different patterns in sand.
Sculptural Objects
Olander's sculptural objects bring texture, weight, and character to shelves, desks, gardens, and other personal spaces.
The people behind Olander
Meet Andrew and Sarah Lonnquist
Andrew and Sarah co-own Olander Earthworks and lead its small Portland team. Andrew shapes the products and production methods. Sarah leads operations, partnerships, customer experience, and communication. Together they guide the studio and its original line of tactile art objects.
Founder / sculptor / inventor
Andrew Lonnquist, founder, sculptor, and inventor
Andrew founded Olander Earthworks in 2008 and created the original Wonderscape and Olander's concrete Sand Sphere. The idea began when one of his sculptures fell into sand and left an impression. Andrew developed that accident into a round, patterned form that creates a continuous mark as it rolls through sand.
As Olander's sculptor and designer, Andrew maps and hand-carves original patterns in softer materials. Those originals become molds for the studio's small-batch concrete forms. His work gives Olander its physical language: intricate surfaces, satisfying weight, repeated pattern, and forms made to move through sand by hand.
Co-owner / CEO
Sarah Lonnquist, co-owner and CEO
Sarah joined Olander in 2014, bringing an art background, a love of community-building, and an entrepreneurial spirit to the growing studio. She is now Olander's co-owner and CEO.
Sarah leads operations, partnerships, customer experience, and communication. She and Andrew have built the website, wholesale relationships, team, studio space, packaging, and public story around Olander's original work. They share responsibility for the company's direction and lead the Portland team together.
Made by hand in Portland, Oregon
Original sculpture, cast concrete, finished by hand
Andrew begins with an original carved pattern. The studio uses those originals to make molds, cast concrete forms in small batches, and finish each form by hand. A local production partner cuts the wooden tray components, which Olander routes, sands, and finishes in the Portland studio.
- Carved
Andrew maps and hand-carves each original pattern in softer materials.
- Molded
The studio makes molds from Andrew's original sculptures for small-batch concrete casting.
- Cast and finished
Concrete forms are cast in small batches, then colored, finished, and inspected by hand.
- Paired
Locally cut tray components are routed, sanded, and finished before trays, sand, and forms come together as a Wonderscape.
What guides the studio
Original work, careful craft, lasting relationships
These commitments shape what Olander designs, how the studio makes it, and the relationships behind each finished piece.
Original design
Olander develops its own sculptural patterns and product concepts, including the original Wonderscape and concrete Sand Sphere.
Small-batch craft
The studio casts concrete forms in small batches and finishes each form and wooden tray by hand.
Portland relationships
Olander works with local production partners and builds long-term relationships with customers, retailers, artists, and its studio community.
Studio timeline
From a Portland market table to Wonderscapes
The studio and Andrew and Sarah's family grew alongside one another. The market booth, family photographs, and online milestones show how that work took shape.
Portland-made since 2008
Markets and direct conversations with customers helped shape the work. Andrew and Sarah later built the studio team and its online home.
2008
A Sand Sphere and a market booth
A sculpture that fell into sand sparked Andrew's rolling Sand Sphere. He started selling at Portland Saturday Market while Sarah was pregnant with their first child.
2008
2010
Family at the market
Andrew and the couple's youngest daughter appear together at the Market. The studio's work and family life grew side by side.
2010
Around 2014
Sarah joins the studio
Sarah joined the business in 2014 and now co-owns and leads it with Andrew. A family photo from around that year shows their daughters trying several Sand Sphere designs.
Around 2014
2015
An online home of their own
Olander first expanded online through Etsy, then launched its own website in 2015. Its in-person customer relationships continued to guide the business.
2015
2019
A family story in the booth
Their family grew alongside the business. Customers who stopped at the booth, tried the work, and kept in touch became part of that growth.
2019
2020
Keeping in touch from a distance
When in-person gatherings paused in 2020, Olander stayed connected through web orders and live virtual sales, and worked to reach more people online. The studio also served customers through wholesale relationships.
2020
Today
Art, pattern, and people
Andrew and Sarah co-own the studio. Their team makes the original Wonderscapes and concrete Sand Spheres, and Olander continues to meet people through community and studio events.
Today
Seen, shared, and collected
A studio story with room for editors, partners, and collectors
Olander's press and media kit brings together approved founder bios, company facts, photography, media assets, and story angles for editors, partners, and collectors.
Continue exploring
Explore the objects and the process behind them
About Olander Earthworks
Common questions
Where is Olander Earthworks based?
Where is Olander Earthworks based?
Olander Earthworks is based in Portland, Oregon.
Are Olander products handmade?
Are Olander products handmade?
Andrew carves original patterns in softer materials. Olander uses those originals to make molds, casts concrete forms in small batches, and finishes them by hand. A local production partner cuts the wooden tray components; Olander routes, sands, and finishes them in the Portland studio.
Who invented Wonderscapes and Sand Spheres?
Who invented Wonderscapes and Sand Spheres?
Andrew Lonnquist invented the Wonderscape and Olander's concrete Sand Sphere at Olander Earthworks. He founded the studio in 2008 after an unexpected impression in sand inspired a round, patterned form that could be rolled to create a continuous mark. Sarah Lonnquist joined the business in 2014 and is now co-owner and CEO.
What are Wonderscapes?
What are Wonderscapes?
Wonderscapes are Olander's original interactive tabletop sand experiences, created by Andrew Lonnquist. Each combines a handcrafted tray, fine crystalline sand, and sculptural concrete forms that you roll, press, and use to create temporary patterns.