leaf

The quest for a leaf print reminiscent of a leaf blowing in the wind continues.

This one is accidentally a bit closer to what I want, though the line broadening is as pronounced
as ever, and the leaf color monochrome.

The new leaf washes are given for completeness, though I expect irrelevant to the result. Unintentionally,
the leaf wash was applied both thinner and more unevenly than usual.

The bases in the first leaf wash, leaf_Z38_0, are almost entirely CaO, by contrast the bases in the second leaf wash
leaf_Z38_1 are nearly entirely alkali metals. As the leaves look nearly identical, clearly everything other than
the rutile is only a carrier for it.

Image of the plate with glaze satIron_ZG_0 and leaf.

full view

plate is ~ 8 inches in diameter.

oxidation firing to cone 10 in an electric kiln

Firing profiles

Up Fire profile

150 deg F an hour to 250 deg F

400 deg F an hour to 1800 deg F

300 deg F an hour to 2050 deg F

120 deg F an hour to 2310 deg F with a hold of 20 minutes at 2310 deg F

Down Fire Profile

300 deg F an hour to 1750 deg F then a half hour hold at 1750 deg F

300 deg F an hour to 1700 deg F then a Three hour hold at 1700 deg F

25 deg F an hour to 1650 deg F then a one hour hold at 1650 deg F

Clay body is a crystal springs porcelain from Georgies in Portland.

glaze compositions

Empirical Formula satIron_ZG_0 :

K2O        0.1
Na2O       0.49
Li2O       0.19
CaO        0.16
MgO        0.06

Al2O3      0.59
Fe2O3      0.2

SiO2       3.13
P2O5       0.04

molecular percent Silica 63%

Empirical Formulae of leaf wash glaze leaf_Z38_0:

K2O        0.02
Na2O       0.01
CaO        0.96
MgO        0.01

Al2O3      2.01
Fe2O3      0.03

SiO2       4.31
TiO2       3.57

molecular percent Silica 39.2%

Empirical Formulae of leaf wash glaze leaf_Z38_1 :

K2O        0.71
Na2O       0.20
CaO        0.07
MgO        0.02

Al2O3      2.61
Fe2O3      0.03

SiO2       10.1
TiO2       5.57

molecular percent Silica 52.3%

A leaf is softened by soaking in water laced with water softener. After the pot is glazed, the leaf is pressed
into the glaze. When the glaze dries, a swatch of plate including the leaf is coated with wax. When the wax
is dry, the leaf is removed and the indentations in the glaze are coated with a very thin layer of an
underfired glazes: leaf_Z38_0 or leaf_Z38_1.

The larger leaf at the upper left is coated with leaf_Z38_1, the smaller leaf at the lower right with leaf_Z38_0.

The small circles visible on the leaves are indeed small translucent acicular crystals.

Coming attractions - a substantially less fusible leaf wash, to enhance the possibility of sharp veins,
and more local reaction with the matrix glaze. The hope is that such a leaf wash will be more responsive to
application thickness.

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