Sand artist immortalizes Ben Stelter in newest piece

James Sun is an artist who uses "sand to immortalize iconic moments" and Ben Stelter was just that: An icon.

Stelter, the Edmonton Oilers superfan,
died on Aug. 9 at age 6
after a year-and-a-half battle with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer.
"Even though he was only 6-years-old, he had such power," Sun told NHL.com.
During the season, Stelter became friends with Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and gained internet fame by exclaiming "Play La Bamba, baby!" after each postseason win. The "La Bamba" tradition was established by longtime Oilers locker room attendant Joey Moss, who died at age 57 on Oct. 26, 2020. During the Oilers run to the 2022 Western Conference Final, Ben's dad, Mike Stelter, shared numberous videos of him supporting and inspiring the team and endearing him to hockey fans everywhere.

Sun reached out to the Oilers about creating a sand portrait in memory of Ben. Hours later, the portrait was complete with Stelter in his familiar Oilers jersey and hat against a vibrant multi-shaded blue background.
Sun said he's been in contact with Mike Stelter and is in the process of gifting the piece to the family.

Sun grew up near Beijing and moved to Toronto for school at age 23. Thirteen years later, he still lives and runs his sand art business in Toronto. Unsurprisingly, he grew into a big Maple Leafs fan.
Despite his Maple Leafs fandom, Sun said it was important for him to help the hockey community celebrate Ben Stelter's life because the superfan transcended sports.
He also had the hockey connections to reach the Stelter family, thanks to past commissions. The NHL was Sun's first-ever client, ordering a 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs sand portrait.

From working with the League, different organizations reached out for player- and team-specific content of their own. Sun has worked with the Maple Leafs, Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning, among others.

In March, he was featured on the jumbotron at Scotiabank Arena after making a 360-degree,11-player sand portrait of different Maple Leafs players that took him 20 hours to complete

Sun's collection of works can be viewed on his website,
fallinginsand.com
.