Clever Land Art by Jon Foreman (8 Photos)

A tree grows new roots. A beach begins to move.

Jon Foreman works with what the landscape gives him: leaves, moss, stones, mud and sand. Across these eight temporary works, woodland floors curl into spirals, beaches become geometric, and the tide always gets the final move.

Meet Jon Foreman: the land artist who lets the landscape set the rules

Jon Foreman, working as Sculpt the World, is a Pembrokeshire-based land artist. His official biography describes work ranging from small stone arrangements to enormous sand drawings measuring up to 100 metres across.

The location determines the material, colour, scale and lifespan of each piece. Forest roots guide the lines. Beach stones provide the palette. Wind, rain and tide decide how long the finished work remains.

Several works in this collection were created with artist Layla Parkin, including “Twisting Tree” and “Ripple.”

🔗 Follow Jon Foreman on Instagram and explore his official site

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🌪️ “Twisting Tree” — With Layla Parkin at Waddesdon Manor, England, UK 🇬🇧

Foreman identifies “Twisting Tree” as a 2025 collaboration with Layla Parkin for Art in Nature at Waddesdon Manor. Mud extends the tree’s real roots, while mostly laurel leaves carry its natural twist outward across the soil.

💡 Process Fact: Foreman says the pair spent three days making the work. Every leaf was fixed with clay, some changed from yellow to orange before they finished, and visitors regularly mistook the added mud forms for real roots.

More: See 8 Ways Artists Turn Trees Into Art

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🍂 “Vortex” — Little Milford Woods, Wales, UK 🇬🇧

Foreman dates “Vortex” to 2024 and places it in Little Milford Woods. Two lines of orange leaves curl across the bare ground before climbing the trunk, while short sticks lift parts of the spiral away from the bark.

💡 Process Fact: Foreman says sections collapsed while he worked. Earlier pieces had helped him test how leaves could project outward, but this larger spiral pushed the idea much further.

More: Explore 10 Forest Sculptures by Jon Foreman

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🌿 “Musco” — Minwear Woods, Wales, UK 🇬🇧

Foreman identifies “Musco” as a 2025 work created in Minwear Woods. Bright moss spirals unwind from the trees and cross the brown leaf litter like a living drawing spreading through the woodland.

💡 Process Fact: Foreman says he takes particular care when gathering moss, leaving plenty behind at each spot so it can continue growing after the temporary artwork disappears.

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◼️ “Merge” — Druidston, Wales, UK 🇬🇧

Foreman dates “Merge” to 7 December 2025. He began by drawing a square in the sand at Druidston, placed the largest black stones in its outer corners, and gradually reduced their size toward the centre.

💡 Process Fact: The work became slower as it moved inward because every new row covered less ground and required smaller stones. The strict square gradually turns into something that appears to flow.

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🌈 “Linear” — Lindsway Bay, Wales, UK 🇬🇧

Foreman identifies “Linear” as a 2025 work created at Lindsway Bay. Rows of beach stones widen from a narrow beginning into a broad fan, with their natural colours becoming long stripes across the sand.

💡 Artist Fact: Foreman described the idea in three words: “Simplicity, motion, colour.” The cliffs, sky and empty beach make those carefully aligned rows feel much larger than the materials themselves.

💡 Tide Fact: Visit Pembrokeshire warns visitors to check tide times at Lindsway Bay because the incoming water can cut off access. Every artwork made here is also a race against the sea.

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🌊 “Ripple” — With Layla Parkin at Qixingtan Beach, Hualien, Taiwan 🇹🇼

Foreman identifies “Ripple” as a 2025 collaboration with Layla Parkin at Qixingtan Beach beside Star-Gazing Square. Hundreds of solid stones spread outward like a wave, making one of the beach’s heaviest materials appear to move.

💡 Construction Fact: Three small pebbles were placed between larger stones like a tripod, helping the many stacks remain standing for the duration of the festival. Hualien County documented the international rock-balancing festival and listed Foreman among its participating artists.

More: See 12 Stone Sculptures by Jon Foreman

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🌀 “Carved Void” — Lindsway Bay, Wales, UK 🇬🇧

Foreman identifies “Carved Void” as a 2025 work created at Lindsway Bay. Broad curves cut into the sand form the main spiral, while carefully placed pebbles sharpen its edges and introduce colour.

💡 Process Fact: Foreman says combining sand carving with stone placement is particularly time-consuming. The flowing lines belong to a visual language he has continued developing across both his stone sculptures and much larger sand drawings.

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🐚 “Fossil” — Lindsway Bay, Wales, UK 🇬🇧

Foreman identifies “Fossil” as a 2024 work created at Lindsway Bay. A vast ammonite-like spiral fills the sand beneath the cliffs, with a lone figure walking across it to reveal the true scale.

💡 Artist Fact: Foreman opened his original caption with “This is not AI.” His official biography explains that his works are nearly always short-lived, with sea, wind and weather eventually reclaiming them. The photograph becomes the lasting version.

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Which one is your favorite?