Porcelain painting is a fine art that involves painting on objects made of porcelain, such as plates, vases, and jewelry boxes. Porcelain was first created in China and is known for its hardness, whiteness, and translucency. Porcelain painters use a mixture of minerals and dyes to create a paste for painting and must kiln the porcelain multiple times for a smooth finish.
A porcelain painter decorates or paints on porcelain. Sometimes the painter is called a porcelain painter or decorator, because porcelain plates are made of porcelain and are often used as the object on which to create painting. Objects other than dinnerware can be used for china painting, including vases, jewelry boxes, cups and plates. Although many enthusiasts like to decorate porcelain, porcelain painting is considered one of the fine arts.
Porcelain was first created in China. It is a combination of clay and the crystalline mineral feldspar. It is known for its hardness, whiteness and translucency. Although porcelain was freely traded, the Chinese kept the ingredients and process for making porcelain a secret for hundreds of years. Explorer Marco Polo is said to have introduced China to Europe, where it was prized for its beauty and as a status symbol.
Eventually, decorative tableware began to be mass-produced in factories, where porcelain painters could always find work. Wars and difficult economic times eventually led to a decline in the creation and consumption of decorative porcelain. In the 1950s, decorative china became popular again. Today, there are porcelain painting classes, schools, videos and clubs.
Like other artists, a porcelain painter can choose any subject or topic for his art. Traditional subjects, however, include flowers, birds, landscapes and portraits. There are also intricate patterns and designs chosen by the painters themselves. Most porcelain artists work in ink, but some use ink.
Painting on porcelain requires the same talents as painting on canvas. A porcelain painter needs an aptitude for drawing and painting and an eye for balanced composition. The work of highly skilled porcelain artists can be found in gallery and museum exhibitions.
A porcelain painter uses the same tools as other painters, but his painting process is unique to porcelain. For painting, the artist uses a mixture of minerals and dyes to create a paste. The colors depend on the combinations of powdered minerals used. Some painters use powdered gold to lighten the colors. The artist uses a palette knife to mix the powder with mineral oil to achieve the desired paint texture and color.
The artist is not finished when the china is painted. Porcelain must be kilned at extremely high temperatures and then allowed to cool until it can be polished. Once polished, another layer of paint is applied and it returns to the kiln.
This process is repeated five to seven times until the desired shine and smoothness is achieved. One way to tell if porcelain is hand painted is the smoothness of the design. It appears to be part of the porcelain surface. There will be raised borders around the crafted decorative porcelain artwork.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
