Image Gallery: Extraordinary Environmental Art

Equilibrium Stack

Richard Shilling created this ephemeral sculpture of carefully balanced stones in 2009. Shilling cites Andy Goldsworthy as in influence in some of his earlier environmental artworks.

Set Adrift

Artist John Dahlsen made this piece, titled "Driftwood Assemblage #1," from driftwood collected from Australian beaches. The artwork displays the fascinating ways in which the wooden sticks have been modified and weathered by the ocean and nature's elements.

Autumn Fire Wheel

Land artist Richard Shilling used the brightly hued leaves of a Norwegian maple to showcase the colors of fall. The center is a tight spiral he wove to hold the leaves and twigs together.

Seashell Sculptures

Seashells, driftwood and chunks of coral are draped and strung over dried-out, sun-bleached tree trunks. These unique sculptures grace the tropical shores of Gili Meno, one of the three Gili Islands off of Lombok, Indonesia.

Green Art

Greenery plays an important role in environmental art, with trees, leaves and flowers often incorporated into artworks.

This piece was created by artist Susan Shanti Gibian, who shaped an invasive grass species to form a heart. By pulling the grasses aside, the artist revealed the more fragile native vine growing underneath. The artwork, called "Ephemeral Wonder," was part of an outdoor exhibit in a pine grove at the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, N.Y.

Lava Flames

To mimic the colors of molten flowing lava, Nils Udo placed red and yellow blossoms within the cracks of hardened lava rocks. The piece, called "Flowers and Lava Flow," was created inRéunion, an island located in the Indian Ocean.

Float On

This tranquil piece, called "Floating Stones on Broken Ice," was created by Gloria Lamson in 2002. The artist carefully placed rocks atop floating pieces of ice in Wyoming.

Sycamore Seed Sun

Another environmental artwork that incorporates leaves and branches, this piece was created by Richard Shilling in 2011. The dogwood ring is lined by sycamore seeds, which were gingerly tacked onto the circle using thorns.

Ice Windows

Artist Richard Shilling created this sculpture from snow, ice and maple leaves in Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire, England.

Mercurial Lake

Called "Small Lake," this breathtaking piece was created by Nils Udo in Vallery, France, in 2000.

After the "lake" was dug into the dark soil, it was filled with water and topped off with bluebell blossoms. A pale hazel branch, held up by three twigs, encircles the water and dark dead leaves surround its shores.