18 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
P X>> 
3M: 
DM3 
CONCERNING WILD ROSES AND THE TREATMENT OF 
DESIGNS AND UNITS— WILD ROSE MOTIF 
Henrietta Barclay Paist 
IS there any flower under the sun which makes a more uni- 
versal appeal than does the Wild Rose — or "Eglantine." 
Violets are next in popularity in the enticement of character, 
form, color and exhalation. But the quality of the fragrance 
of the wild rose is like that which comes to us on the wings of 
the wind after a rain. It is the fragrance of " Mother Earth" 
washed clean by dews and warmed by "Old Sol." All roses 
have their individual charm — but none have that rare sim- 
plicity, that wild swift evanescence, that fleeting spiritual 
quality which is so characteristic of the wild rose. The color 
is ravishing in its purity and in its variety of strength. The 
unconventional grace of the branches and clustering buds, 
the lovely leaf formation, all go to complete that subtle in- 
dividuality with which no hothouse variety — no matter how 
beautiful — can compete. 
It is one of those flowers which lend themselves freely to 
conventionalization, and yet which we hesitate to put into 
formal moulds. That they lose the sense of fragrance and 
the evanescent quality in so doing, there is no question. It 
is at its best in its wild unconventional manner of growth, 
as the Japanese use their plums and cherry branches. But 
our need is our justification; we are bent on making formal 
decorations for articles of use and, as such, we must choose 
from nature that which serves us best, preserving as much as 
possible the individuality and charm of the original motif. 
The designs and units shown in this number are all prac- 
tical for adaptation to porcelain forms. The teaset is in- 
tended to be carried out by etching away the background and 
then treating the design with two tones of gold, Yellow or 
Roman and Green Gold. The surface of the china may be 
left in its original purity or may be tinted a soft ivory or 
delicate grey. 
The little curly unit is lovely repeated at intervals on a 
teaset of suitable shape (a shape more oval in outline) and 
carried out in enamels. The borders can be adapted to any 
suitable shapes and carried out in flat color or enamels, in a 
color scheme of pink, green and ivory. If flat color is used 
a gold outline is complimentary; if in enamel, good execution 
does away with the need of an outline, although this is a mat- 
ter of individual taste. The large border can be carried out 
by etching away the path around the design and then treating 
the whole background with lustre. 
An effective way of treating the small border, if one wished 
an unusual effect, would be to make the background black, 
against which the pink, green and yellows of the design would 
stand out in relief. The handles and extra lines for, banding 
and completing the pieces, could then be black, making a 
stunning little tray set for porch or indoors luncheon. If 
one wished to use a yellow and black color scheme for this 
border one may with perfect consistency, as it has been 
reduced to the abstract genus, Rose and might well answer 
to the yellow Scotch variety of few petals. 
Next. month I shall show another border, more consistent 
with the large circular unit, so that one could, if they desired, 
apply the unit to a bowl, using the border on the outside and 
the unit in bottom of bowl. 
Also I shall show some variations from the lovely wood 
violet theme, the flower that competes most closely with the 
wild rose for popular favor. 
