Ideas must be put to the test. That's why we make things, otherwise they would be no more than ideas. There is often a huge difference between an idea and its realisation. I've had what I thought were great ideas…

Quote by Andy Goldsworthy

Topics: Andy Goldsworthy Quotes

I enjoy working in a quiet and subversive way.

I enjoy working in a quiet and subversive way.

I'm cautious about using fire. It can become theatrical. I am interested in the heat,...

I'm cautious about using fire. It can become theatrical. I am interested in the heat,...

The difference between a theatre with and without an audience is enormous. There is a...

The difference between a theatre with and without an audience is enormous. There is a...

I have walked around the same streets so many times, and then seen a place...

I have walked around the same streets so many times, and then seen a place...

A snowball is simple, direct and familiar to most of us. I use this simplicity...

A snowball is simple, direct and familiar to most of us. I use this simplicity...

A stone is ingrained with geological and historical memories.

A stone is ingrained with geological and historical memories.

Winter makes a bridge between one year and another and, in this case, one century...

Winter makes a bridge between one year and another and, in this case, one century...

The first snowball I froze was put in my mother's deep freeze when I was...

The first snowball I froze was put in my mother's deep freeze when I was...

People also leave presence in a place even when they are no longer there.

People also leave presence in a place even when they are no longer there.

People do not realise that many of my works are done in urban places. I...

People do not realise that many of my works are done in urban places. I...

Occasionally I have come across a last patch of snow on top of a mountain...

Occasionally I have come across a last patch of snow on top of a mountain...

Three or four stones in one firing will all react differently. I try to achieve...

Three or four stones in one firing will all react differently. I try to achieve...

It's frightening and unnerving to watch a stone melt.

It's frightening and unnerving to watch a stone melt.

Abandoning the project was incredibly stressful after having gone through the process of building the...

Abandoning the project was incredibly stressful after having gone through the process of building the...

Photography is a way of putting distance between myself and the work which sometimes helps...

Photography is a way of putting distance between myself and the work which sometimes helps...

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

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

The relationship between the public and the artist is complex and difficult to explain. There...

The relationship between the public and the artist is complex and difficult to explain. There...

Even in winter an isolated patch of snow has a special quality.

Even in winter an isolated patch of snow has a special quality.

I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some...

I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some...

Not being able to touch is sometimes as interesting as being able to touch.

Not being able to touch is sometimes as interesting as being able to touch.