One of many preliminary drawings for Smithson’s most famous work, Spiral Jetty, this particular sketch calls attention to the striking red hue of Great Salt Lake. The color is a result of salt-tolerant algae and bacteria, a feature that reminded Smithson of the primordial sea. While the drawing appears as a simplified plan for the iconic earthwork, it is not merely a means to an end. Rather, this sketch—along with countless others—exemplifies Smithson’s ongoing meditation on the infinitude of time, change, and spiritual desire as represented by the spiral form.

Spiral Jetty with Sun is both a drawing of Smithson's iconic earthwork Spiral Jetty and an illustration mapping out his intentions for a specific sequence filmed from a helicopter for the film Spiral Jetty. When Smithson first visited the site of the earthwork at Rozel Point