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 Dinosaur Mosaics

This is a mosaic entitled "Dreams".  It is featured in the October 2008 issue of American Style Magazine. It is made from a collection of my artwork that has broken over the years.	This mosaic is entitled "Slick". It is modeled after a cats nose and whiskers. The fur was gradated light to dark out from her nose, and each whisker came out of a patch of darker fur.
“Dreams” was created from the field jacket of an extinct Slylemys tortoise found in Sioux County, NE in the White River Formation.  The White River Formation is a sandstone and mudstone formation containing many vertebrate species formed approximately 35 million years ago when western Nebraska was continuing to cool from the very warm early Eocene epoch into, as represented here, the more ecologically diverse Oligocene epoch.  Picture at this time some deciduous trees and an expansion of grasslands.  This Stylemys tortoise ate plants and insects. Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia; U. of CO Museum of Natural History; U of CA Museum of Paleontology; E. Evenoff, UNC Dept of Earth Sciences, GSA abstract	Slick” was created from the field jacket of an extinct Slylemys tortoise found in Sioux County, NE in the White River Formation.  The White River Formation is a sandstone and mudstone formation containing many vertebrate species formed approximately 35 million years ago when western Nebraska was continuing to cool from the very warm early Eocene epoch into, as represented here, the more ecologically diverse Oligocene epoch.  Picture at this time some deciduous trees and an expansion of grasslands.  This Stylemys tortoise ate plants and insects. Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia; U. of CO Museum of Natural History; U of CA Museum of Paleontology; E. Evenoff, UNC Dept of Earth Sciences, GSA abstract
This one is entitled "Alaskan Starfish". I saw many of these amazing creatures just hangin' around on rocks while I was there. *SOLD*	Ahhh...."Winter Flower". Living in Laramie, I am privy to many months of dormant plants. This mosaic worked it's way into being this summer while I was hot and dreaming of snow....
“Alaskan Starfish” was created from the field jacket of an Edmontosauraus Hadrosaur humerus found in Bowman County, ND in the Hell Creek Formation.  The Hell Creek Formation is a single sedimentary layer formed approximately 65 million years ago when western North Dakota was a semitropical delta of sediments deposited from rivers originating in the Rocky Mountains.  This represents the end of the Cretaceous period, a period famous for both the appearance of flowering plants and the mass extinction of dinosaurs.  Hell Creek is a particularly interesting formation, for it holds records of this mass extinction.  The Edmontosauraus, one of the largest of the Hadrosaurs, was around 43 ft long and weighed over 4 tons. Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; N. Dakota Geological Survey Paleontology website	“Winter Flower” was created from the field jacket of an Aspideretes soft shell turtle found in Sweetwater County, WY in the Green River Formation.  The Green River Formation represents a variety of landlocked lake sediments such as sandstones, mudstones, siltstones and shales deposited from surrounding mountain ranges during the Eocene epoch sometime between 56 and 34 million years ago.  During this time, the current Red Desert of central and southern Wyoming was much warmer.  In fact, during much of this time temperate forests were found at the earth’s polar regions.  This epoch represents the emergence of the first modern mammals. Reptiles, like this soft shell turtle, were also common. Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia

Fossil Ammonite Cast 20 3/4 x 17 1/4 x 4 1/2" Mixed media finish:  acrylic washes, sand, wooden cherry frame This piece is by commission only. Contact Jodie for availability.	This is a photo of me holding the original fossil. It is a "Dunveganoceras pondi" It is from the Frontier Formation north of Medicine Bow, Wyoming. The original fossil is 80-90 milllion years old.
"Grand Canyon Reflections"	"Invisible Flowers"
“Grand Canyon Reflections” is reminiscent of that canyon’s whiplash rapids.  It was created from the field jacket of a Triceratops occipital condyle.  This is the back of the skull where it articulates with the first vertebra.  The round part of the mosaic, bottom right, is the actual joint of the neck.  According to the Casper College Tate Geological Museum, this particular bone was “pretty beat up” and required a great deal of prep work before being displayed for the public.  It was found in the Cretaceous Formation near present-day Lance Creek, WY in Niobrara County.  This formation is known for the chalk and green sand deposits 140 to 65 million years ago when the world looked much different than today.  My past descents into the Grand Canyon are a constant reminder of slow, yet punctuated, geological and evolutionary change.     Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia	“Invisible Flowers” is composed of mostly-clear glass shards discarded in the prairie.  Aptly named, it was created from the field jacket of a yet-unidentified dinosaur bone held at the Casper College Tate Geological Museum.  What is known about this mysterious bone is that it was found in the Cretaceous Formation near present-day Lance Creek, WY of Niobrara County.  During the Cretaceous, 140 to 65 million years ago, flowering plants first evolved and the American continents began to take recognizable form.     Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia
"Is Anything Ever Black and White?"	"Broken Wave"
“Is Anything Ever Black and White” was created from the field jacket of a Triceratops cervical rib. GRET, the name of this particular Triceratops, now lives on display at the Casper College Tate Geological Museum.  It was buried during the Cretaceous Formation near present-day Lance Creek, WY of Niobrara County. This formation is known for the beds of chalk and green sand deposited 140 to 65 million years ago when flowering plants first evolved.     Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia	“Broken Wave” was created from the field jacket of a Hadrosaur humerus found in the Cretaceous Formation near present-day Lance Creek, WY of Niobrara County.  The locality of this find, now housed in the Casper College Tate Geological Museum, was DS-148.  148 is the bone number, but DS stands for Dead Sheep, presumably from a nearby dead sheep.  “Broken Wave” is composed of turquoise, blue, and white glass shards found discarded in the prairie.  The Cretaceous Period was relatively warm and global sea levels were much higher than today.  The Pangaean Supercontinent continued its slow break into the continents we recognize today.     Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia
"Krumholtz"
“Krumholtz” was created from the field jacket of a Triceratops scapula.  GRET, the name of this particular Triceratops, now lives on display at the Casper College Tate Geological Museum.  It was buried during the Cretaceous Formation near present-day Lance Creek, WY of Niobrara County.  This formation is known for the beds of chalk and green sand deposited 140 to 65 million years ago when flowering plants first evolved. Krumholtz are small clumps of old, stunted, wind-scored pines at timberline high in the Rocky Mountains.     Special thanks to: J-P Cavigelli, Tate Geological Museum, Casper College; Wikipedia

This is a mosaic entitled, "Re-Birth". It was created on top of a plaster cast I took from a pregnant friend. The mosaic was created with broken pottery from the pregnant couple which is meaningful to them. Contact Jodie if you are interested in having her cast and mosaic your belly!