About China Painting

Porcelain Art, or China Painting, is an ages old technique whereby artists� paints are applied onto

 porcelain in the same manner as paints are applied to canvas, paper, or any other material.

     In Porcelain Art, the combination of several applications of colored transparent paints (overglaze)

 and firing in a kiln to hot temperatures (usually 1300-1600 degrees F.) produces a translucent glow

 of color depth in the artwork which enhances the piece.

Worldwide today there are those who enjoy china painting as a hobby and there are those artists who

 hone their talent and their knowledge to become Master Artists. Sadly, the number of porcelain artists

 is few compared to other mediums.

In our electronic, technical and mechanical world today, there also seems to be few in our society that

 understand the difference between what is hand-painted and what is decal or mechanically painted.

The following is a description of the steps taken by the artist of hand-painted porcelain:

A china blank , or a piece of shiny white porcelain (glazed) is applied with dry paint (overglaze) which

 has been ground or mixed, by hand, with a medium such as mineral oil.  The mixed paint is applied

 with an artist�s brush that has been dipped into another medium such as an oil, turpentine, or water, etc.

 Once the design has been established and painted the porcelain support is placed in the kiln and fired at

 an average of 1500 degrees (Temp varies by artist.) The heat of the firing softens the glaze of the china

 and allows absorption of the color (with oil burning off) and the glaze then hardens back over the color

 as the kiln cools. The design is thus set and sealed.

Generally, the painted piece of porcelain goes through repeated paintings and firings before it reaches

 the artist�s desired finished look. There are one fire paintings and there are paintings that may

 undergo many fires. Gold, platinum, silver and lustres and special pastes may also be applied for greater

 enhancement or decoration.

Please Email Me With Any Questions or Concerns: Lynn Patton