Infatuation fires up distinctive hand-painted porcelain

When Qian Jianfen talks about painted porcelain, her eyes glitter with excitement.

Qian, who is in her 40s, is president of Wuxi Hailin Cultural Co and founder of Qianyao, a high-end brand of painted porcelain.

"Traditional Chinese blue and white wares are loved by many people, but a lot of them were manufactured and were of the same patterns," said Qian. "In the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), some painters began to draw on porcelain directly to make unique and amazing works."

Though she knew nothing about painting, Qian fell in love with painted porcelain at first sight, and she decided to introduce this art form to a wider public.

She began to recruit painters, build proper kilns and find the best raw materials. In 2011, Qian's first batch of painted porcelain came into the world and won praise from many of China's artists.

"I used to buy many expensive porcelain pieces when I was traveling abroad," Qian said. "I'm infatuated with its beauty and cannot help but wonder how great it would be if I owned pieces of artistic porcelain that could be used in daily life."

Because Qian is a successful businesswoman, her financial situation allows her to invest greatly in painted porcelain, including inviting famous painters and creating the unique colors of the brand.

Ye Jianxing, a painter, said that drawing directly on porcelain is quite a different experience. "At first, you feel nervous and draw with great care, but then you relax and enjoy the interesting creative process," Ye said.

The painters invited by Qian to create painted porcelain specialize in different types of painting, including oil painting and Chinese ink painting as well as engraving. They are often invited to Jingdezhen, China's "porcelain capital", where they communicate with one another and make their own works into porcelain wares.

"The works of Qianyao will have a unique color of red. People can tell where they come from the moment they look at them," said Qian.

"Our team is researching how to put various forms of foreign paintings on the porcelain," she said. "Also, we are trying to improve the earth and the glaze to bring out the best of porcelain wares."

Qian's painted porcelain wares have been exhibited in France and Britain, and they will be shown in Australia and New Zealand in the near future.

"We have received orders from Britain and France. I don't expect to make a fortune by making painted porcelain, at least not in the near future," Qian said.

"My goal is to let this amazing form of art be known to more people and be inherited from generation to generation."