Jariya Studio

Article by Jariya Kiranantawat

Work Description:
Concept:
For the theme “Porcelain Painting for a New Millennium,” I wanted to develop traditional Thai painting towards a more modern look by applying my own realistic painting skills. Traditional Thai art is a two-dimensional style with many details, as can be seen in the mural of the Emerald Buddha Temple in the Royal Palace, It is related to traditional Thai painting, known as “Benjarong” meaning five colours. Benjarong is over-glaze painting by hand of Thai motifs, using local raised paste and gold ornamentation.

I originally designed and painted my three pieces in a three-dimensional style, while keeping the amount of detail. My design is “Lotus in the pond” in which you can see the life cycle of the lotus as a bud, in bloom, and in the fading stage, including the lotus flower in different positions. I chose to draw the lotus, because the lotus flower is known all over the world and easily found in Thailand. Maybe you

have seen images of Buddha sitting in a large lotus. It is normally used for paying respect to the monk/Buddha image or in any religious rites. In the new millennium, mind or spirit should be continuously developed to balance technology in order to live a life in peace, and I think that religion may be a way to accomplish this. That is why I have created designs that are also religious symbols. The concept is “mix and match,” the saucer’s motif is designed differently from those of the cup and the plate, but they will match perfectly as a set. Also, in the new millennium, the number of porcelain painters will increase, so I have made a resolution to use lead free paints to keep the environment clean and our food safer, even though firing must be done at a higher temperature, about 800^๐C - 860^๐C.

How to paint:
     I first sketched the design on paper, and then adjusted it as wanted. I completed my works in both the European and the American technique, with three fires. Lead free colours were used. For the first fire, I drew detailed lines on the porcelain with a pencil, then painted using the outline colour and water based medium. I used the smallest liner brush (not pen) for brushstrokes as in the European technique. For the second and third fires, I painted twice for a darker value, and achieve the tree-dimensional look that I wanted. I used an oil-based medium and square shader, with colours as follows:

      Lotus: Pink and Ruby Red
      Leaves: Primary Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Stem Green, Royal Green, and Black Green.
      Water: Clear Water Blue and Cobalt Blue.

By Jariya Kiranantawat, Thailand