Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy (born 1956) is a British artist and photographer living in Scotland who produces site specific sculpture and land art situated in natural settings. His art involves the use of natural and found objects to create temporary sculptural pieces which both appear naturalstic and create stark contrasts with their surroundings. He works closely with form and color contrasts to produce works that are both striking and ephemeral.

His media often include twigs, thorns, muds, snow, icicles, brightly colored flowers and leaves. For tools he uses only his bare hands and found tools.

His work process is obsessive and opportunistic. He is preoccupied with the inevitable destruction of his sculptures by elemental forces. He seems to prefer works that exist only extremely briefly or whose continued coherence is highly uncertain. Many of his pieces collapse during construction and he often rebuilds them several times before he is able to photograph them in completion.

The documentary movie Rivers and Tides show him working and some of the pieces he has created.