Process
Over the years, I have developed strong professional relationships with Jingdezhen’s artisan workforce, becoming part of their extended ‘ceramic family’. Through observing their skills and techniques, traditional to Jingdezhen, I have learnt how to decorate in detail with fencai coloured enamels, to paint abstract marks in cobalt pigment with huge Chinese calligraphy brushes, and to understand the skill of carving into porcelain.
Most days I spend time across the river, working at the ‘big ware’ factory; a family business, which specialises in making large-scale pots up to three meters in height. There, under my instruction, a team of ‘master throwers’ realise my designs for monumental forms.
Working with a team means I can let go of certain aspects of the making and concentrate on the artistic integrity of the pieces. It is a lot of fun! It has opened up a whole new world, stretching my creativity beyond my previous experience. It is interesting to see that now, more often than not, the team’s curiosity matches mine, as we try hard to understand our different aesthetic roots.
Throwing
It takes three throwers working in tandem to throw a big pot.
Trimming
After drying, sections of the big pots are stacked and joined with slip.
Here you can see the join lines where each segment was stacked.
Now, the three-meter vessel can be further trimmed to refine the form.
Fully-trimmed three-meter vessel.
Fully-trimmed three-meter vessel.
An assortment of tools used for trimming.
Painting Blue & White
Assortment of brushes used for blue & white decoration.
Sketching
Overglaze Enamel
Stencil and overglaze enamel colour tests.
Hundreds of colour and pattern tests used to refine and verify the decoration.
Stencils are placed on the pot to design the decoration.
Stamped outlines are applied.
Detailing the stamped outlines.
Notes on color and application are added.
Fencai colours are mixed and carefully filled in.
Painting a big pot with Fencai colours.
Detail of overglaze enamel after firing.
The fired work with overglaze enamel.
Firing
Carefully loading an overglaze enamel vase into the electric for firing.
This studio relies on a custom pulley system to load heavy vases.
A fencai pot packed and ready for firing. Bricks create a heat shield around the work.
It takes four or more people to move a fired big pot.
Carefully moving a fired vase.
Transport
Loading a monumental Blue & White vase on a truck for transport.
Two large porcelain overglaze enamel decorated vases ready for transport.