TINA MAMMOSER

The Art of Boundaries: Unconformities Explained

Dark and light blue abstract painting on canvas
75° North II, a huge painting with soft hazy boundaries between snow, rocks cliff, and arctic sky

Boundaries and edges have long intrigued me and influenced my artwork. Boundaries along rivers and shores. Boundary of the horizon between water and sky. Boundaries where rock meets the sea and changes with tides. Boundaries within rock layers.

In geology layers that sit nicely together in a logical sequence or transition are in conformity. What is far more interesting is where those layers don’t conform! Why not? What happened inbetween the layers? What is the sequence of geological events?

As art, it’s far more interesting for elements to contrast – angles and slashes, dark against light, colour shifts, or changing patterns.

Detailed line drawing of geology in rock stack

Artistic license to create angular unconformities! Inspired by Black Nab at Saltwick Bay

All of these are why unconformities, nonconformities, paraconformities and disconformities are my favourite visual features in the coastal geology. Nonconformities are less common on the coastline. Unconformities, particularly angular ones, are the most fun!

A collage of disconformities – Collage 5

The Deep Time drawing is based on the changing layers at Selwick’s Bay.

My love letter to ‘not’ conformities was the Deep Time project – the altering, shifting, removing, adding of drawn and painted layers of geology. with unconformities of different colours, paraconformities where layers are eroded (ripped/cut) and barely noticed, and disconformities with huge angles and faults below them. I don’t think I could combine more layers than in this!

Abstract blue seascape painting of the Yorkshire coast

Boundary of land and meets sea in Walking with Tides
  • Where did MARS paintings come from? Abstracting new landscape & science
  • Rock & Fossil Spotlight: I just really like Belemnites – revisiting!
  • Layered Ideas: Collage as sketching
  • Blue Chalk: A Geology-Inspired Painting
  • The Art of Boundaries: Unconformities Explained
  • Whitby Abbey: A Geology Sketch Adventure