Archive: DHPW-2026-032
Artist: Dave Holt
Year: 2026
Medium: Acrylic on raw petrified wood
Dimensions: approx. 5 × 4¼ × 2¼ in. (12.7 × 10.8 × 5.7 cm)
Weight: 3.00 lb (1.36 kg)
Origin: Northern Arizona
Geological age: Late Triassic, approximately 200+ million years old
Geological age: Late Triassic, approximately 200+ million years old
Description
This work is painted directly onto a naturally fractured piece of raw petrified wood from northern Arizona, more than 200 million years old. The stone retains an unusually strong sense of its origin as wood: rough exterior surfaces remain visible at the top and bottom, while exposed mineralized sections reveal bands of red, ochre, cream, gray and amber running through the object.
The painted inscription develops across only part of the front face, moving through the existing fractures and mineral formations rather than concealing them. Gold, copper, violet, blue, red, white and pale green forms are organized within black lines and glyph-like markings. Circular and triangular elements gather toward the center and extend outward across the irregular surface, while substantial areas of the stone remain untouched.
Viewed from the sides, top, bottom and reverse, the painted image gives way almost entirely to the geological object. Particularly along the upper edge, vivid bands of red, orange and yellow emerge naturally from the petrified wood, while the rough exterior preserves evidence of the original tree. The contrast between the concentrated human inscription and the ancient material surrounding it is central to the work.