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Fossillily
A fossil is nothing short of a miracle.
Most organisms live and die without leaving a trace of their existence.
Oxygen and bacteria team up to consume the detritus swiftly, without ceremony.
However, in this race between the processes of decay and of mineralization,
sometimes even the most delicate features of a plant or animal are preserved—stone
portraits of their fleshy selves. What triggers the process is a
mystery – a matter of being at the right place at the right time—in
this case, pressed between layers of fine-grained sediment, preferably
acidic— that mineralize the stuff before it rots.
Drawings are also fleeting. They represent a thought caught on paper at
a moment in time. A drawing can get buried beneath layers of pigment yet
sometimes the original marks persist. Even erasure leaves traces of the
old marks – a pentimento that remains an integral part of the final
image.
A flower is delicate and short-lived. I drew large images from lilies
as they bud, bloomed and wilted and then tore these drawings into smaller
squares covering them with pigment, ink and acrylic. Each new layer of
sliver-thin strata added to the interment of the simple drawing. Just
as fossil fragments embody their bubbly, wormy, mineral history, the pentimento
of decay and preservation, of mudslides, and a long, deep sleep beneath
the surface, so drawings tell their own tale.
I mounted the square paper pieces onto panels and sealed them beneath
thin layers of medium. I did this recalling the magical touch of fossils
and the hidden worlds of color and poetry that they hold within.
-Mary Heebner 2-22-06
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