Fascinated by the idea of what people will leave behind for those who live millions of years from now, Erik Hagen developed a unique series of paintings for his new exhbit, Fossils of the Anthropocene. “While we’re looking backwards in time at what the fossil record can tell us, what are they going to find in the future – whoever they are? That really captivated my imagination and led me to do all of these different pieces,” he said. Some of Hagen’s “fossils” were created by throwing marble dust on a canvas covered with latex paint mixed with sand, then embedding casts of plastic coins or a cell phone, referencing commerce and communication. Several of the paintings incorporate plastic waste, including a water bottle as well as plastic fragments and micro-beads like those used in lotions and soaps. (source).