Mounted on the elevated train platform's concrete pillars, the series consists of eight panels of hand-painted tile that depict the community's past and its links to the nearby sea. As the artist described the concept, "I will create a series of tiles tracing the history of Long Island, beginning in the Ice Age, through paintings of rocks and plant life. The next stage would show how the Native Americans interacted with plants and sea life, followed by the first Europeans, who settled in Long Island and established farms and a seafaring industry. Later, a tourist industry developed, as well as several advanced industries... The early history of Merrick describes developed grain farms with cows and sheep... The railroad eventually became a bridging device to bring together the surrounding communities and contributed greatly to the development of contemporary Long Island." The artwork at Merrick and Bellmore Stations were created in conjunction with one another.

Alan Sonfist is a painter, photographer and Land Art artist who is considered one of the pioneers of the Earth Art movement. After growing up in the South Bronx near Hemlock Forest, which later became a major inspiration for his art, Sonfist attended Hunter College, where he received a master’s degree in art. His early work in the 1960s and 1970s helped pioneer the burgeoning movement of site-specific sculpture. Today, he continues to promote sustainable energy and strives to raise awareness for global climate change with his international projects.

Sonfist has collaborated with city planners in Pori, Finland, and Tampa, Florida, to create public spaces that visualize natural landscapes from the past. In addition, he has created a team of specialists to address issues involved in creating a functional ecological landscape that will naturally adapt to their contemporary urban and suburban environments.