Category: Inspiration

Inspirational Posts

Epsilon Phase Iron in Tenmoku

For those of you who are really interested in Oil Spots, there’s an article from 2014 that I think is worth a long look. This particular article was what got me interested in SEM microscopy when I was in Grad School:

Learning from the past: Rare ε-Fe2O3 in the ancient black-glazed Jian (Tenmoku) wares – Nature.com

Abstract

         Ancient Jian wares are famous for their lustrous black glaze that exhibits unique colored patterns. Some striking examples include the brownish colored “Hare’s Fur” (HF) strips and the silvery “Oil Spot” (OS) patterns. Herein, we investigated the glaze surface of HF and OS samples using a variety of characterization methods. Contrary to the commonly accepted theory, we identified the presence of ε-Fe2O3, a rare metastable polymorph of Fe2O3 with unique magnetic properties, in both HF and OS samples. We found that surface crystals of OS samples are up to several micrometers in size and exclusively made of ε-Fe2O3. Interestingly, these ε-Fe2O3 crystals on the OS sample surface are organized in a periodic two dimensional fashion. These results shed new lights on the actual mechanisms and kinetics of polymorphous transitions of Fe2O3. Deciphering technologies behind the fabrication of ancient Jian wares can thus potentially help researchers improve the ε-Fe2O3 synthesis.

Continue reading “Epsilon Phase Iron in Tenmoku”

Glacial River in Southern Iceland

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Photo Credit: Instagram @dipanjan94

From the Artist:”Planet Iceland.
Braided rivers, black sand beach, and the Atlantic.

This was a particularly difficult shot. I scouted this location in Google Maps Satellite view, and we drove to its nearest place where a car can go. It was still very far.

After that, I flew the drone more than 3 km away in terrible winds to get this shot and a couple of others, and then immediately returned it back. Landed safely with 5% battery left.

Shot with @djiglobal Mavic Pro with @polarpro filters.”

 

Beautiful work!

Sitka, Alaska by Paul Casadio

Sitka Alaska

An unbelievable shot from a super cool guy I was lucky enough to take out fly fishing this summer. Taken right out in my front yard so to speak.

Whale Spout
Whale Spout, near Sitka, Alaska. Paul Casadio, 2019

Linda Bloomfield – Science For Potters

Fans of the blog will have noticed a lot more activity of late. It seems like one of my favorite old adages is appropriate: Good things come to those who wait. Rather than over promising on a bunch of ideas I may or may not deliver on, I’ll go with another one of my favorite adages: Actions speak louder than words. That last one seems… pretty appropriate.

In any event, I’ve been working on putting together a recommended books section, and felt like I might as well start with one that I’m in! regardless of that last fact, it couldn’t be more appropriate to what this blog is all about.

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A few years ago when I was neck deep in my Lava Oilspot research, Linda reached out and asked me to contribute some images and information for this book. I couldn’t have been happier with how my work and images were presented. It’s got all kinds of useful information on connections between rocks, glazes, ceramics, and chemistry.

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It’s thoughtfully put together, and if you’re looking to get a handle on using wild materials or learning more about some clay chemistry, this is a great one to check out.

You can find this book here, or by clicking on the image below.