When Julian Richardson visits southwest England’s beaches to make his artworks, he’s always watching the tides. The artist uses a rake to make large-scale drawings in the sand. But each one is ephemeral, lasting only a short time before disappearing with a high tide or a strong gust of wind. 

Inspired by the geometric order of nature, Richardson’s drawings are repeating patterns of identical shapes called tessellations. To start, the artist outlines the elaborate shapes in the sand. Then he uses a rake to create the darker areas. 

Although the drawings aren’t meant to last forever, Richardson photographs each one before it washes away.