Most crystalline work you see aims at big, repeatable blooms on classic vessel forms, so a set of zinc silicate tests on extruded tubes already reads as an unusual direction. The maker works exclusively in crystalline glazes and has done so for a good while, and rather than showing a finished piece, the focus here is on two fresh tests pulled from the kiln the night before, fired to cone 10.
The recipes are worth noting. The first test runs a full 413 base with plenty of manganese, at 8 or higher, plus some iron. The second is a 413 and 3110 hybrid carrying more 413 than the maker normally uses, while the manganese dioxide stays at 10 or below in both. These same colorant percentages have been in play for over a decade, which gives the results a solid baseline.
The surfaces themselves look lovely in two very different ways. One tube carries a glossy dark reddish-brown glaze with fine speckles and large circular blooms. The other shows glossy honey-amber and caramel brown with round formations and bow-tie-shaped crystals. On the darker piece, a golden-brown band edges the upper rim where the glaze thins.
The open question is the strangest and best part: ghostly halo-like ring reflections showing up near the rim in the lighter brown zone, visible only when the light catches them just right, sitting over specks that show all the time. The cause remains unidentified, and the maker's own guess that the extra 413 might be promoting it is still unconfirmed. That mystery is a nice hook for anyone who enjoys glaze chemistry.