Ever see a beach or dry riverbed briefly transformed into a canvas? Jim Denevan, a native of Santa Cruz, Calif., is a master of this ephemeral craft.

As detailed in this just-published Q&A with Bay Nature magazine, showcased in a 2008 profile from CBS Sunday Morning (see video below) and displayed on his own website, Denevan, a surfer, chef and organic farmer when not creating artwork, uses rakes and other tools to etch temporary masterpieces (often likened to crop circles) into natural settings, and has no quibble when rain or wind or tide patterns gradually erase his efforts.

It's all a reminder, Denevan tells the magazine, that "we're all part of the physical phenomena of the world, in a temporal sense."

Temporary, yet wonderful to behold. Such amazing images. Enjoy.

© Photos courtesy of Jim Denevan.