106 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
DESIGN AND ITS APPLICATION TO PORCELAIN 
Henrietta Barclay Paist 
PROBLEM XVTIL COLOR HARMONY, APPLICATION— Concluded 
"Beauty in Life and Art is not accidental; it is an organic thing, having 
its own laws and consequences." — Waller Crane. 
" Harmony of Sound is the study of the musician and tuned colors are the 
materials of the colorist ... so must the art of the colorist have a scien- 
tific basis and a clear form of color notation. This will record the successes 
and failures of the past, and aid in a search, by contrast and analysis, for the 
fundamentals of color balance." — Munsell. 
THIS being our final problem in the course, we will, before 
stating the exercises of this lesson, review the course by- 
Problems as it has progressed. We have, I am sure, by this 
time, a clearer idea at least of the subject of design, the laws 
governing it, its relation to the other arts, and the system or 
method of procedure, without which no subject can be made 
clear. 
We have learned that Decorative Art differs from Pictorial 
Art in that it deals with types, rather than accidents of nature; 
that it calls for a flat treatment and for regular arrangement 
of material in order to conform to space and not become obtru- 
sive; that to be worthy of the name, a decoration must be in 
harmony with the shape and the purpose of the object decorated, 
that to know good decoration, to acquire good taste and dis- 
crimination, requires systematic training. 
We have learned something of the system by which a decor- 
ation is developed and made one with the builded object. We 
have acknowledged our limitations and have tried to make the 
most of them, feeling that while we, as china decorators, cannot 
encompass the whole of Art, we, nevertheless, have out- 
place, and that "Art rests upon a basis broad enough to en- 
compass all of man's activities." 
"No system of ornament can be definite and final, since 
such system, to be real and vital, must express the aesthetic 
impulse of those who create it, and since the direction of the 
aesthetic changes with every era." However, the underlying 
principles are forever the same. 
We began by defining these principles and in an elementary 
way, by the use of lines, tones and areas, demonstrating them 
in the construction of designs of different characteristics. Un- 
fortunately, we do not make the shapes we decorate, so we 
began the study with the construction of design and worked 
from that point of view towards the application; then choosing 
our shapes, studied them with reference to the placing of the 
design, and endeavored in this way, by bringing the two into 
harmony, to produce an object of Art that should be a logical, 
consistent, finished product, showing one thought in shape 
and decoration. We have decorated china too long without 
giving to it this thoughtful study — without co-operation with 
the author of the forms but such haphazard ornament will 
soon be a thing of the past; having seen the light, we will, in 
this as in other things, be quick to put our theories into practice. 
We have seen that the principles, — rhythm, balance and 
harmony — relate to line, shape, tone and color. We have 
line rhythm, tone rhythm, shape rhythm and color rhythm; 
line balance, tone balance, (as demonstrated in the neutral 
values,) and color balance, (depending on the strength as well 
as on the value of the color.) We have harmony of lines, of 
shapes, of tones and of color, so that every criticism is based 
on these three principles. 
Are the lines in harmony with each other and with the 
boundary line? Is there a feeling of balance between space 
and mass? Is there a balance of tone? Is there a general feel- 
ing of harmony — of mutual dependence — of lines, tones and 
areas — a feeling of unity? Is there a lack of variety in space 
and mass, or is there too much variety, causing lack of unity — ■ 
harmony? These are the points which form a basis of crit- 
icism for the teacher. These are the questions to ask yourself 
when studying your own efforts. In this way you may become 
your own critic, forming a judgment of your own, and that is 
the aim of this course, to leave the student less dependent, with 
a basis for judgment and an appreciation of the subject of de- 
sign that will render her further efforts joyous and practical, 
and enable her to say with Robert Louis Stevenson "I know 
what pleasure is, for I have done good work." 
"The delight in beauty is common to all and is merely a 
matter of degree — not of kind." Let us, by study and sincere 
effort, cultivate an appreciation, helping thereby to raise our 
craft to a position of dignity in the Art World. 
Industrial Art has come into its own, and in this practical 
age, the article that combines use with beauty, holds for us a 
double interest. We are forming the taste of the next genera- 
tion by our association with things artistic. Let us see that our 
study be not superficial; that we look for reasons and methods 
as well as for effects; that we work for sincerity rather than 
novelty. 
It is presupposed that the student already has, or expects 
to acquire, the technical knowledge of this craft in the work- 
shop or the studio. Without this practice, these lessons are 
futile. We can define the elementary principles on paper and 
can learn the value of orderly thought, but the methods and 
technique must be learned by actual contact with the materials. 
As to the Problems herein stated, we have been able only to 
touch upon each, but the work may be carried on and made 
practical through the criticisms as arranged for in the regular 
course by correspondence, and if the suggestions thus gained 
are carried out in the practical application — in the actual work 
of the studio — you will have gained tremendously in helping 
to bring about the results for which we have so long been work- 
ing. 
The last fifteen years have been ones of steady progress 
and to-day we have as leaders and co-workers, many of national 
prominence, and one at least, who has received international 
recognition. Our exhibitions are an education and a delight, 
and the student of to-day has inspiration on every hand and 
knowledge is easily gained. Let us not be satisfied with imita- 
tion even of the best, but like those successful ones, go straight 
to the root of the subject and gain for ourselves the ability to 
create something that shall express ourselves, believing with 
Henry Turner Bailey that, "Of the Creative Artist it may 
always be said, 'even the winds and the waves obey him!' he 
orders everything after the counsel of his own will for the 
sake of perfect harmony." 
EXERCISE 
For our final exercises we will put the applied designs of 
Problem XII* into color. Here we are reminded that we are 
coloring articles for use on a white background (the tablecloth) 
and will try to keep our color schemes delicate and in close 
harmony. Refer often to the chart for shades and tints. Show 
the analysis of color schemes under each piece, indicating Hue, 
Chroma and Value as before. 
There is no limit to the palette of the china decorator. 
The greatest trouble and the thing that confuses us most is 
the enormous number of colors on the market; the variety of 
names, meaningless and ludicrous, of the different makes of 
colors, shades and tints, differing in name only. One may by 
the use of the chart and experiment with colors at hand, form 
her own palette and her own judgment and not be confused by 
the vast supply on the market. 
* See illustrations Plate XIV, January, 1915 number 
