Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy, produces site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.

As land artist, he is very much in touch with his natural surroundings. His creations are envisaged and constructed to work alongside nature, and to be changed by nature. Where possible he uses only the local resources, and no tools to produce his pieces. In an interview he compared the repetitive quality of farm tasks to the routine of making sculpture: "A lot of my work is like picking potatoes; you have to get into the rhythm of it."

He uses photography to record his art due to its often ephemeral and transient state. He quotes: "Each work grows, stays, decays – integral parts of a cycle which the photograph shows at its heights, marking the moment when the work is most alive. There is an intensity about a work at its peak that I hope is expressed in the image. Process and decay are implicit."

He also works on larger and more permanent pieces for galleries, museums and as public art. However the context and meaning behind his work remains the same. His work is tailored to reflect the locale in his material choice and the shapes he uses in the artwork.

Many of Goldsworthy's ephemeral works are untitled as they are so transient, and the images below reflect some of these. The first link is a short film on one such piece.

My introduction to the artist was when I found this short film with Waldemar Januszczak assisting Andy Goldsworthy create some impromptu land art in the Scottish borders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPDH8yCnlk0

Rowan Leaves & Hole

The art material used often include brightly coloured flowers, icicles, leaves, mud, pine cones, snow, stone, twigs, and thorns. He has been quoted as saying, "I think it's incredibly brave to be working with flowers and leaves and petals. But I have to: I can't edit the materials I work with. My remit is to work with nature as a whole."

The artist is generally considered the founder of modern rock balancing. For his ephemeral works, Goldsworthy often uses only his bare hands, teeth, and found tools to prepare and arrange the materials. However, for his permanent sculptures, and museum pieces, he does employ machine tools, and works with specialists such as dry-stone wallers and architects.

What impresses me about Andy Goldsworthy is that he sticks to his chosen concept of art, and isn't easily swayed to the commercial needs and wants of galleries and museums. He confirms this stubbornness himself in a talk given for the Saint Louis Art Museum by calling himself "bloody-minded" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7YEZMJatrY)

Roof

To create "Roof", Goldsworthy worked with his assistant and five British dry-stone wallers, who were used to make sure the structure could withstand time and nature. http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/goldsworthyinfo.shtm