An avid student of geology, cartography, and archaeology, Stuart has long explored the myriad investments that humans make in the natural world. In 1976, at the suggestion of Charles Simonds, she began to frequent the failing sand and clay quarries in Sayreville. There, she created four mixed-media works. In the center of each piece is a rectangular sheet of paper and a row of Polaroid photographs. The sheets are "painted" with sediment collected at specific times of day; collectively, the works capture both the passage of time and the character of the landscape.