Category: Traditional

The Color of Celadon

With all its variations, what does the term “Celadon” even mean? There are various theories as to why Westerners started using the term “Celadon”.  Regardless, “Celadon” refers to a category of Chinese ceramics known as 青瓷 (qing ci).  瓷 is porcelain while the 青 (qing) in 青瓷 signifies a color (or range of colors). But exactly which… Continue reading The Color of Celadon

The Colors of Celadon

Just a few examples of celadons, there are more like Plum Celadon (梅子青) not to mention Jun and Guan.  Color and surface can vary within each type, and even between time periods.  A contemporary Duck Egg Celadon that adds a small amount of cobalt in addition to iron for extra color is quite different from the Yuan… Continue reading The Colors of Celadon

Fake Traditional Chinese Materials Blends

Using chemical analyses and US materials, I recreated traditional Chinese materials like porcelain stone, glaze stone, and glaze ash.  Limiting myself to these “fake” materials, I blended them to create porcelain bodies and glazes. Here are two line blends of fake Sanbao Porcelain Stone and fake Yaoli Glaze Stone blended with fake Glaze Ash.  While both of… Continue reading Fake Traditional Chinese Materials Blends

Iron Tianmu Glaze

This glaze was inspired by analyses of Song Dynasty dark iron glazes in Nigel Wood’s “Chinese Glazes”. I find this glaze superior to typical Tenmoku glazes like Leach Tenmoku due in part to the inclusion of magnesium. The minor additions of titania and manganese add to the depth. Rather than a slightly translucent dark brown… Continue reading Iron Tianmu Glaze

Recreating Ancient Glazes

Recreating Ancient Glazes using Glazy’s “Target & Solve” feature with analyses from Nigel Wood’s “Chinese Glazes”. In an earlier post I showed how you can quickly make a recipe from an analysis of an ancient glaze.  Here are four examples of recipes I tested using this technique. 1.  #121102 Koryo celadon glaze 3.  This came out BEAUTIFUL on stoneware… Continue reading Recreating Ancient Glazes

Early Glazy Prototype

Look familiar?  No, it’s not Glazy, it’s Jingdezhen 😜  Just a few samples from the glaze shops in Jingdezhen.  You can get spoiled being a ceramicist here, where amazing glazes from every dynasty in every color are available by the bucket!  Someday maybe Glazy will become a virtual Jingdezhen glaze shop!

Paintings of the Traditional Porcelain Process

“Export” Art During the 18th Century, Guangdong province was the hub for trade with the West. The dialogue between Western merchants and artists with both painters and porcelain producers resulted in a unique blend of Chinese and Western styles. This blend was reflected in the painting styles for both Export Paintings as well as Export… Continue reading Paintings of the Traditional Porcelain Process

Traditional celadon

Recent firing with traditional porcelain stone glaze. In the past I’ve tried but failed to use modern materials like feldspar and kaolin to capture the beautiful, unctuous surface and depth of porcelain stone celadons. In this glaze the coloration is completely due to iron occurring naturally in the material.

An old Porcelain Stone Mine

Unprocessed porcelain stone

It’s surprising to me how often archaeological discoveries seem to be made in Jingdezhen, but then I remember that wherever I walk in this place there are deep layers of shards beneath my feet. A friend of mine was given samples from a recently found porcelain stone mine dating from the Five Dynasties Period.  Apparently the find has not gone… Continue reading An old Porcelain Stone Mine

Tea Dust Glaze

Tea Dust Recipes on Glazy The following glazes and more can be found on my new website, Glazy: https://glazy.org/search?base_type=460&type=550&cone=high The Complete Guide to High Fire Glazes Tea Dust Recipes Some tea dust glazes from The Complete Guide to High Fire Glazes.  I fired these glazes according to my usual firing schedule, probably too hot and not ideal for… Continue reading Tea Dust Glaze

Porcelain Stone Glazes

Jingdezhen Porcelain Stone There are a number of types of porcelain stone mined throughout Jingdezhen and the surrounding countryside.  Some are more suitable for making porcelain clay, while others are traditionally used for glazes.  It is difficult to know how similar modern-day porcelain stone is to traditional materials.  During the few years I have lived… Continue reading Porcelain Stone Glazes