Dead Leaves [white oak and maple]. This is another monotype, but unlike the other paintings, is made instead with a sheet of 100% cotton printing paper that contains no sizing. I first soaked numerous dead leaves in a mordant solution made from rusty nails, water and vinegar; the acid in the vinegar leaches iron out of the nails, and the resulting iron in the solution bonds with tannins in the leaves. To make the “painting,” I brushed the paper on both sides with a mixture of water and powdered alum (as a fixative), and laid the soaked leaves on the paper in a random pattern, as found in nature. Then I folded the paper multiple times into a small bundle, laying more soaked leaves within each fold, to try and ensure that all sides of the paper were in contact with leaves. The bundle was then steamed in a slow-cooker for 1-2 hours, where the heat of the steam helps transfer the leaves’ tannins directly to the paper.