Giving it character

Have you noticed?


Many Italian ceramics have been treated with an antiquing jell. Sooner or later, the pieces will have to be washed. You now have a brand new piece, one which has lost some of its characteristics. The aging agent is applied AFTER the piece has been fired making the effect only temporary.




So, why not apply the antiquing process BEFORE the last firing, making it permanent, as I have done with the urn you see above? One of the more successful applications, I have discovered, is to save the "dregs", or sediment produced while painting with water and powder pigments.

On the left, the urn is painted and sprayed with a very light coat of the "dregs" liquid. You can spray several coats of this water-based liquid until you achieve the desired effect. All that is then left to do is to apply a final coat of clear glaze and then fire the piece to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. After firing, (picture on the right) the aging treatment becomes more pronounced.

See how the pigments fuse with the glaze during the final firing, making the colors brilliant and permanent (pictured on the right). Now you can scrub and clean all you like without fear of losing any part of your original piece of art.

Tell me, how do you feel about giving ceramics an aged patina?

Gina.