If you happened to wander in the right areas in L.A. recently, you may have noticed a rather peculiar and unique style of art: apparent geodes appearing in the cracks and crevices around the city. Here’s what I’m talking about:

Naturally, these aren’t actually geodes – geodes are geological structures in which numerous crystals from in a cavity through chemical precipitation. Over time, a slow feed of mineral constituents from groundwater or hydrothermal solutions allows crystals to form inside the hollow chamber. Needless to say, this is not the case in downtown L.A.; these artificial geodes are created from polished resin or paper and spray paint.

The artist responsible for these is Paige Smith A.K.A. a common name (Instagram here). She has been a professional graphic designer for seven years—working on marketing materials and branding for print and web clients. Her clients include large corporations as well as smaller boutiques. She’s also installed geodes in Spain, Istanbul, Jordan, South Korea, and elsewhere around the world over the last few years.

If that left you wanting more, you can check out this video on Vimeo on the making of an urban geode: