Jeanne Heifetz
Surface Tension 3
Slate, graphite, zinc, nickel, bronze, iron, wax
Jeanne Heifetz has been using slate and quartzite in lieu of canvas or panel for the past several years. Surface Tension 3 is one of the first pieces in this ongoing series. "I had been working with similar imagery in my Geometry of Hope series in which I 'drew' with 2mm rods of glass stitched to fine stainless-steel mesh," says the artist. "I was layering the work to create the sensation of looking into the structure of a highly magnified cell, but I had hit the limit of the number of layers I could add before the pieces became opaque. I wanted to find a way to work without those limitations that would also allow me to incorporate curves. I was considering working on metal as a substrate when I (almost literally) stumbled on a slate tile that I found propped against the railing of a local church. The piece wasn't broken, so I have to assume it hadn't fallen off the roof. I took it home and loved working on its irregular surface, which creates what I think of as 'sculptural drawing' – not quite 3D, but definitely more than 2D."
"Part of my artistic intent is to test the edge of perception and comprehension, so this particular piece of stone was in fact a challenging muse. I drew the palette of the piece from the slate itself, so that the viewer's eye and brain would have to work to decipher the structure of the layers. I wanted the darker layers to blend with the stone itself, and almost appear to be almost a natural outgrowth of the stone. I chose natural pigments, whose colors are likely produced by the same molecules that produce the colors of the slate."
"As far as I know, all the slate and quartzite I use was originally mined in India, although I purchase it from suppliers both in Europe and the United States. This particular piece came from a supplier in Ohio, and was actually an unexpected piece they added to an order. I loved the drama of the stone as soon as I saw it, although it was a challenge not to have it overwhelm the work."
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