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The Hong Kong Porcelain Painting Club (HKPPC) was founded on 6th October 1999 by Mrs. Rosemary Oh in cooperation with her students. It is a non-profit making Club, dedicated to the appreciation and enrichment of the art of painting on porcelain, while, at the same time, for raising funds for worthwhile charities.
The Club invites prominent artists from around the world to exchange views and ideas. It holds annual sharing sessions for Members to demonstrate their fine artwork skills and to share points of view and new techniques. Most exhibitions are held with sales of porcelain paintings to raise funds for a chosen charity. For Members nothing is more rewarding than to see their works being displayed and admired, knowing at the same time that they are doing a good deed. Members also participate in community services and international conventions. HKPPC communicates with Members through publications and activities.
Porcelain painting is a hobby that can be adopted at any age. It is so therapeutic that our Club Members spread joy to patients in hospitals through their weekly teaching, this being one of their services to the community. Using porcelain pieces as canvas and colour glazes (minerals and oxides ground in various mediums) is an art in itself.
There are three main kinds of porcelain: hard-paste, soft-paste, and bone china. Bone china is made by adding bone ash (burned animal bones) to kaolin and petuntse which greatly increases the translucence of porcelain.
Artists draw pictures and patterns on the surface of glazed porcelains, and then process them by fire in a kiln at temperatures of over 800 degrees C. The firing process is an art in itself as different colour glazes require different temperature settings, and only the experienced artist can use the firing process to bring out the best in porcelain pieces. Artists paint on jars, vases, trinket boxes, trays, dinner plates, bowls, lamp bases, cups and saucers as well as teapots. Some artists paint tiles for decorating walls. These become popular items of decoration for admiration in museums, public places and homes. These are also valuable gift items for friends and relatives as porcelain pieces have a practical use.
Porcelain has a long history in China. Even now people call porcelain 'china', or chinaware, just because it was first made in China. The art of painting on porcelain started in Chinese factories under the Tang dynasty (618-907). During the Song dynasty (960-1279), Chinese emperors opened royal factories to produce porcelain for their palaces. Porcelain makers perfected a famous blue and white under glazed porcelain during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Since the thirteenth century, China started to export chinaware to Europe. Most Chinese porcelain was made in the city of Jingdezhen. During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Chinese painters developed great varieties in designs and traders brought them to Europe. These fine products were greatly appreciated but were too rare and expensive for the general public in Europe. Only the powerful and the rich could afford them.
In the 17th century, France, Germany, Italy, and England became the major centres for European porcelain production, with England being the chief producer of bone china. Worcester porcelain, one of the oldest and best English porcelains, was produced in the same period. During its early years, the Worcester factory produced soft-paste porcelain decorated with Chinese designs in blue under glaze.
In the 17th century, France, Germany, Italy, and England became the major centers for European porcelain production with England being the centre for the production of bone china Worcester porcelain, one of the oldest and best English porcelains, was produced in the same period. During its early years, the Worcester factory produced soft-paste porcelain decorated with Chinese designs in blue underglaze.
Porcelain painting was also introduced to Asian countries, such as Korea and Japan, in the 11th and 15th centuries.
Thanks to technological advances, individual artists can now paint porcelain as a hobby.