Painting Ceramics - Liu Liang-yu

Judging from the shapes of wares produced, all moulds were made simplistically for the purpose of enhancing the colours presented by the glaze on the wares or the effects of the theme. As for the treatment of coloured glaze, incorporating experience gained from early periods of fiddling with enamelwares during the Ming and Qing periods, dark coloured engobe was used as a base for scratching during production. After plain firing, traditional high temperature feldspar glaze was used to finish firing at 1260~1300(changed 1230 °C since using the US imported modelling clay from 1996). After applying the enamel glaze and completing the third round of firing (slightly lower temperatures), gold and silver were applied last prior to baking at low temperatures before it could be considered complete. The purpose of setting a base in dark colours and the numerous tempering finishes, is to apply the traditional technique of presenting colours in the former, where the overglaze appears bright and steady, while the latter borrows from the enamel techniques developed during the Qing period, producing the opaqueness that enamel possesses which renders a quality of oils upon the presented colours. The numerous tempering adds further to the sense of gradation in the glaze colours, hence forming the unique effect and layered depth in the works.