Leafing, Kozo and Cold Wax

The purpose of this basic leafing workshop is to acquaint students with the fundamentals of leafing an image printed on Kozo paper, adhering the leafed image to a board and the application of cold wax.  Kozo is a Japanese paper made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree.  Amanda has chosen Kozo for presentation of her personal work because of its relative transparency, allowing the luster of the leaf to show through.  The cold wax is applied after the leafing process further enhances the translucency of the paper, allowing the sparkle of the leaf to shine through.

There is an important difference between leafing on Kozo and vellum.   Vellum, which is used by many, very often produces dramatic effects. The effects achieved leafing on Kozo are more subtle, adding sparkle and glimmer to the lighter, less pigmented areas of the image, creating a unique light effect when exposed to direct light or significant ambient light. The main difference between leafing on vellum as opposed to Kozo is the leaf is typically apparent to the viewer with vellum.  Leafing with Kozo is a more subtle enhancement of the image. In the gallery, we have experienced visitors drawn to the images, but not sure why. They recognize something unique but don’t make the connection until it is explained to them.