Deep Time: The Stratal Series (Micro Epoch)
2026
6″ x 6″
All materials included have been personally and ethically found, recovered, or purchased to create this original work of art.
Various Fossils, Shark Teeth, Shells, and Rocks from Florida’s Peace River, Venice Beaches, and Sarasota Inland areas.
Agatized Coral/Native Chert Flakes from Tampa, Florida
Trilobite/Slate from Utah
Calcite Clams from Ruck’s Pit, Okeechobee, Florida
Quartz Crystal from Arkansas
Stones/Rocks from North Carolina & Georgia
Minerals/Crystals/Stones/Glass/Metal/Rocks and misc found objects from my lifetime treasure collection
RESERVED
Deep Time: The Stratal Series (Micro Epoch) is a physical distillation of planetary history, compressing millions of years of geological evolution into a strict six-by-six-inch footprint. Created specifically for the 100 Moments in Mosaics exhibition, this piece serves as a micro-extraction from my larger macro collection, translating sweeping landscape formations into an intimate, high-density visual study.
An “epoch” represents an immense, world-changing span of geological time defined by shifts in the Earth’s rock layers. In this miniature work, I have compressed ten distinct strata into a single, compact core sample. To achieve this intense density, I adapted my traditional andamento to a miniature scale, sourcing materials from the smallest of treasures collected while fossil hunting. In those micro-layers, the fossils, teeth, shells, stones, crystals, glass, beads, pottery and varied mixed media items are my tesserae.
By integrating these tangible pieces of the past as the literal building blocks of the mosaic, the work transcends mere representation. The varying physical depths and textures of these raw, found elements allow the surface to catch the light, mimicking the rugged faults and intense pressures of the deep earth. Micro Epoch ultimately creates a paradox of scale, asking the viewer to stand before a fleeting, human “moment” while looking directly into a tiny, compressed window of eternal time. Ten geological layers are artistically represented starting at the base Core and moving up through Bedrock, Relic, Mineral, Fusion, Drift, Shore, Crystal, Reflection, and finally ascending to Horizon. The possibility of what treasures are still waiting to be discovered beneath our feet is endless… Because at the end of the day, “I Dig Art.”
Dianne Chapman