Land Artist Arranges Stones and Leaves Into Mesmerizing Mandalas and Spirals

Land Art Ephemeral Art James Brunt Mandalas Mandala Stones

Yorkshire-based artist James Brunt employs sticks, stones, and other ephemeral materials to create elaborate ephemeral art. Featuring intricate mandalas, infinite spirals, and one-of-a-kind sculptures, his series of outdoor installations continues contemporary art‘s tradition of creatively using nature as a canvas.

Brunt produces his land art in a wide range of locations, including sandy beaches, wooded parks, and even lucky local schools. In every case, he uses materials found on-site to create his impermanent installations, finding artistic value in everyday ephemera. Ordinary rocks become perfect mandala stones, fallen leaves beam in radiating spirals, and overlooked twigs turn into twisting illusions in his beautiful body of work.

Brunt photographs each design once it is complete. In addition to immortalizing his inherently temporary creations, his photos and prints capture “the dramatic point of balance,” which he describes as “both poetically fragile to look at and yet deceptively solid due to the nature of the raw material.”

In addition to ephemeral installations, Brunt also experiments with other hands-on hobbies. As a co-founder and leading “creative chap” of Responsible Fishing UK, a small arts organization, he also dabbles in domino toppling, large-scale beach drawings, and kid-friendly cardboard creations.