Vol. V. No. 2 
SYRACUSE NEW YORK 
June J 903 
HEN once the initial step is taken, it 
is a matter of a very short time be- 
fore everything seems to be running 
in the same direction. It is only a 
short time since Mr. Volkmar started 
his class in pottery in Mrs. Robi- 
neau's New York studio, and now 
everyone is studying the manipula- 
tion of clays and glazes. Mr. Binns 
opened his summer school shortly 
after Mr. Volkmar's class had begun. Then Mrs. Vance 
Phillips -added pottery to her summer school, and Mr. Volk- 
mar opened his pottery to summer students. Mr. Dow 
includes pottery work in his Ipswich summer season's work 
and many individual china painters are working out the pot- 
tery problems for themselves, Mrs. Poillion, New York; Miss 
Mary Chase Perry, Detroit; Marshal Fry, New York, and 
Mrs. Robineau, Syracuse, among others. It is not like this 
fad or that, it is a serious movement and ought surely to 
bring about some worthy result since it calls for too hard work 
and too many risks to be degraded to the level of fancy work 
as it becomes more popular. Before this movement started 
the individual artist potters in the United States could be 
counted on the fingers of one hand — almost — Miss McLaugh- 
lin, Mrs. Frackleton, Mrs. Irelan, Mr. Volkmar, Mr. Robertson 
and the freak potter Ohr, possibly a few others; we feel safe 
in predicting that a very few years will add appreciably to 
their ranks from among the china painters. 
FOR BEGINNERS 
Anna B. Leonard 
TO APPLY designs to keramic forms first look for the structure 
or the skeleton upon- which the design is built, then con- 
sider how it fills the space given and how it may be applied 
to the desired space. Take a simple repeating design in a 
border for instance. The design may be seen in a band on a 
low bowl and the decorator may wish it on a tall vase; the 
first thing to do is to space off the vase in good proportions, 
the border being in good proportion to the height of the vase. 
Here to begin with, is the important question of space division. 
When the width of the band is decided upon, then the next 
step is to find how many perpendicular divisions shall be made 
to accommodate the repeating design. 
A "plate divider" is invaluable and assists the decorator 
at once in adjusting spaces by placing the vase directly in the 
center of the divider and drawing the lines up the sides of the 
vase, whether one wishes twelve parts or ten or eight (or any 
more or less numbers.) Ail this may be done quickly instead 
of by laborious measuring used before the invention of the 
"plate divider." 
If a part of the design may be directly transferred into 
one of these spaces murked off, so much the better, but if it 
has to be changed a little to fill the space correctly, then one- 
half of the portion of the design may be drawn and when that 
is perfectly satisfactory it may be drawn on tracing paper and 
then the paper folded and the other side drawn to get both 
sides or portions symmetrical (if it is a symmetrical design.) 
This tracing then will represent the entire figure that is 
to be decorated, and this is repeated in each portion until the 
border is completed. 
A pencil drawing may be made over the faint tracing left 
on the china to correct any fault, but if one is experienced an 
outline of color or gold or paste may be used directly, correct- 
ing as one works; but even the best and most experienced 
workers prefer to get a good and satisfactory drawing in the 
beginning, facilitating very much the work that follows. 
One should be most careful in getting beautiful lines, 
lines that cut the spaces in two beautiful portions, the portion 
that makes the design and the portion that makes the back- 
ground. It is an excellent idea to hold the object before a 
mirror and then criticise the shape of the dark spots and then 
the light spots. Of course in tracing without the carbon paper, 
the object is first rubbed with turpentine and dried. 
By putting the pencil drawing of the tracing paper next 
to the china and going over the back of the design with a 
hard point, either a sharp agate burnisher or sharpened orange 
stick, the pencil marks will be transferred to the china. 
It is better to first try some simple designs on a plain 
plate or saucer, until one has a little experience. 
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF MINERAL PAINTERS 
THE annual meeting of the National League of Mineral 
Painters was held on May 7. The principal business 
was the election of six new members of the Advisory Board, 
which resulted as follows: Mrs. K. C. Church, San Francisco; 
Miss Bayha, Kansas City ; Miss Perry, Detroit; Miss M. M. 
Mason, New York; Miss Ehlers, Jersey City; Mrs. Davis, 
Boston. 
The subject of how the current exhibition should be 
judged brought out many interesting remarks, and it was 
unanimously voted that the judging should be done in New 
York, and that judgment should be accepted as final in the 
matter of awards. The judges selected were Miss Amy Mali 
Hicks, New York; Miss Blanche -Dillaye, Philadelphia; Mr. 
Peter Roos, Boston. 
The marks in the competition on educational lines were 
awarded as follows, the highest marks being given for the car- 
rying out of the three problems; design for tile, design for 
pitcher, candlestick in clay. Mr. Rockwood Moulton, Brook- 
lyn, sent all three, and stands ist, receiving the gold medal 
and scholarship; Miss I. A. Johnson, tile, pitcher, stands 2d, 
silver medal; Miss Peacock, tile, stands 3d, bronze medal; 
Miss Welch, tile, pitcher, 4th; Miss Lienau, tile, 5th; Mrs. 
Mayhew, tile, 6th; Mrs. Andresen, tile, 7th ; Mr. Simmons, 
tile, 8th. 
The following were commended by the judges for design, 
adaptation to form, drawing and color: 
Bowl— No. 19, Marshal Fry; 20, Marshal Fry; 27, Mrs. Sarali Wood 
Safford; 21, Marslial Fry; 29, Miss Mason; 22, Mrs. Mayhew; IS, Mrs. Fry. 
Vases— No. 4, Marshal Fry; 16, Mrs. C. A. Pratt; 14, Mrs. W. E. Price; 
9, Miss Foster; 3, Mrs. He Witt; 10, Mrs. L. I. Harrison. 
Plates— No. 41, Marshal Fry; 40, Marshal Fry; 103, Marshal Fry; ,52, 
Mrs. S. E. Price; 34, Mrs. Chas. Cooper; 31, Mrs. Chas. Cooper; 39, Bertha L. 
Davis. 
Ida a. Johnson, President. 
