As with all my work, whether it's a leaf on a rock or ice on a rock, I'm trying to get beneath the surface appearance of things. Working the surface of a stone is an attempt to understand the internal energy of the stone.

Andy Goldsworthy

Related Quotes

I did tests on small stones before collecting and committing myself to the larger ones.

— Andy Goldsworthy

I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some sculptures need the movement of people around them to work.

— Andy Goldsworthy

Fire is the origin of stone.By working the stone with heat, I am returning it to its source.

— Andy Goldsworthy

Confrontation is something that I accept as part of the project though not its purpose.

— Andy Goldsworthy

Breaking stone with a hammer is a familiar and acceptable way of working the material, but is in fact a more violent response than firing.

— Andy Goldsworthy