Moss has gained a reputation as one of the best natural art mediums, a living swath of vivid green with an irresistible texture that can be coaxed into various shapes and patterns. While most moss art involves either gluing sheets of preserved moss to a surface or painting on a mixture of live moss that will adhere to the surface and grow, this method – illustrated here by Stefaan de Croock – takes the opposite approach.

Rather than adding something – like spray paint –  to a surface in order to create a design, subtractive graffiti strips something away. That ‘something’ might be dirt on a sidewalk, or soot on a wall. In this case, it’s moss.

Using a pressure washer, de Croock (a.k.a. Strook) carefully removed moss growing on a wall in Leuven, Belgium. As the moss was stripped away, urban scenes full of giant robots were revealed. The mural was created outside the STUK art center, and likely grew back over within a few weeks.

It flows down the streets, up staircases and around corners – a green carpet, unfurled like a leaf, in a city of stone. This path of grass was installed in the picturesque French village of Jaujac to celebrate the 10th year of its arts and nature trail programs. Public artists Gaëlle Villedary used an incredible 3.5 tons of natural, living turf grass.

Stretching nearly 1,400 feet, the trail brings greenery to places that have little room for nature. Though the village is set in a breathtaking natural setting of forests, hills and rivers, its public areas are fairly bare.

The artists explain, “Through the village to link natural areas on either side, a link, a path … a path connecting the heart of the village and its inhabitants with the valley. The incarnation of the wire through the ages to Jaujac is a piece of nature, a communion between Nature and Man, through Art.”

Calling to mind moss graffiti, the green carpet represents a stunning convergence of natural and urban environments. The temporary installation was completed in September 2011.