Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy married Judith Gregson in 1982. The couple had four children. The couple spent most part of their married life in Dumfriesshire.

Andy got separated from Judith later. He now lives in the same dwelling along with Tina Fiske. Andy had collaborated with Tina for few sculpture projects, after which they decided to stay together.

A documentary based on the life of Andy Goldsworthy was made in 2001. This celluloid adaptation of his life was titled ‘Rivers and Tides’. This film, which garnered critical acclaim, and even won many awards, was directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer.

Andy was born on July 26, 1956 to Fredrick Alan and Muriel Goldsworthy. Andy’s father Allan Goldsworthy worked as a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Leeds. Though Andy’s place of birth is Cheshire, he was raised in the town of Harrogate, located in Yorkshire.

Andy was very fond of agriculture since his early days. He started working in the farms at the tender age of 13.

Andy Goldsworthy pursued his basic education in Fine Art from the ‘Bradford College of Art’ during the period 1974-75. Immediately after the course ended, he moved to the ‘Preston Polytechnic’ to pursue his further education.

During his time at Preston, Andy attended a presentation on ‘Long Art’ by Professor Richard Long. The session taught him how to merge elements of nature such as wood and water into works of art.

The pictures of Professor Long inspired Andy so much that he moved to Morecambe Bay in Lancashire to pursue his first work of art, with a professional approach. In 1978, he graduated from the institution with a Bachelor’s degree in arts, B.A.

After completing his studies Andy stayed in places like Yorkshire and Lancashire for a few years, before moving to Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in 1985. Andy, later, headed to the North Pole to work on an exotic piece of art which is known today as ‘Touching North’.

In 1994, he built a series of arches near his home in Dumfriesshire, called ‘Herd of Arches’, which was quite similar to ‘Touching North’.

Andy worked on his next piece of art in the 1990s, which was called ‘Sheep Folds’. He was backed by a stipend from the government for this work. Andy replicated the enclosures used for protecting herds of sheep, through this work. He created a series of enclosures made of dry stone across the countryside to achieve his vision.

Though Andy had visited United States several times earlier for work related commitments, his first project of great significance ‘The Storm King Wall’ came in 1997. The wall was installed at the ‘Strom King Arts Centre’ in Mountainville, New York.

Goldsworthy then installed a temporary piece of art at the Canadian province of Nova Scotia in 1999. This sculpture named ‘Ice Snake’, stretched down a river, and later melted because of the sun’s heat.

Though each work of Andy was considered to be masterpiece by art lovers, one of his most significant works is ‘The Storm King Wall’. This wall is a gigantic structure, which is around 2000 feet long. The structure was created using natural rocks and dry stones from the region, instead of the traditional mortar.