VGCC Offers China Painting class at Franklin Campus

Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus near Louisburg will once again host a China Painting class, Jan. 29 through April 15. Classes will be held on Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on the Franklin campus, which is located on N.C. 56 about one mile west of Louisburg.

In this class, students will learn how to transform ordinary dishes and other types of porcelain into beautifully hand-painted decorations for their homes or for gifts. Participants will study floral designs, pen work, paste and enamels, free-hand painting and specialized techniques.

Instructor Jane Edwards Miskie has been teaching china painting classes since the early 1980s at the main VGCC campus, the Louisburg campus and the Franklin County Art Center. She has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, a master’s degree in Sculpture and over 50 years of experience in the arts.

Miskie said that in the Victorian era, American “ladies” were expected to attempt china painting, but this ceased with World War I, when fine porcelain imports from Europe were interrupted. The art was revived in the late 1950s in California, and quickly caught on again. Today, there are china painting clubs throughout the world. “China painting is one of the easiest types of painting, because it is not limited to people who can already draw,” Miskie said. Mistakes are easily fixed, since the paint does not dry until the piece is “fired.” Once fired, the painted piece is safe for microwaves and dishwashers. In the 19th century, young ladies impressed friends and prospective husbands with their creative painting of dishes and vases, but today, Christmas ornaments and coffee mugs are also among favorite pieces for painting.

The cost of the course is $54.

For more information and to register, call (919) 496-1567.