As any keen gardener will tell you, sculptures can often make a good garden into a special garden. Some artists have extended this concept to the natural environment with good effect. Altering the natural environment to incorporate bold statements is nothing new, with examples such as the Long Man of Wilmington to more modern structures such as Mount Rushmore immediately coming to mind.

Over the past 40 years or so, environmental art has increased in popularity with some pieces permanently installed and others that are ephemeral, existing only permanently in a photographic record.

The artist who first got me interested in environmental art is Andy Goldsworthy, the author of countless books devoted to pictures of his often transient art. Locally he is famous for installations such as the Chalk Stones near Singleton and the Sandstone Arch on the Goodwood Estate. These sculptures are out of place in their environment and yet they add a focus to their surroundings that is difficult to ignore.

While Andy Goldsworthy tends to create pieces on a human scale, some other environmental artists work on a truly huge scale. One of the most famous pieces is The Spiral Jetty, which was built of mud, salt crystals, basalt rock, earth and water on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA.

This is a particularly interesting piece because it has been exposed and submerged a couple of times since it was created back in 1970.

The work is almost 1,500ft long and 15ft wide and is currently exposed above the water line. You can see the jetty for yourself at www.spiraljetty.org

If you are interested in environmental art, I recommend the website www.greenmuseum.com, which has pictures of many pieces from across the world.

Paul Willis is waste strategy manager for Adur and Worthing councils