Purple Clay Through The Dynasties To Modern Times

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By Jason Jia

Purple clay teapots are unique to China, and artisans integrate sculptures, calligraphy, drawings, paintings, and poetry into many of the designs. These elements make purple clay teapots not only practical tea sets, but also works of art. But they didn't start off so popular and elaborate: it was a slow road to fame.

It all begins

During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), loose-leaf tea came into fashion. More and more people took to drinking tea, and they tried to find better tea ware. Now the stage was set for the first purple clay teapot to show up.

According to ancient sources, a boy named Gong Chun saw some people making jars using purple clay and was enlightened. "Why not use it to make teapots?" he thought. He cleansed the clay, and crafted a small purple clay teapot.

He showed this pot to his friends. They were surprised by his novel yet somewhat plain creation. And when they sampled tea brewed in the pot, they found out it was much more delicious and savory than before. They saw this pot as a remarkable innovation, and called it a Gong Chun Pot in honor of that observant and creative boy. Since then, a great number of potters have been imitating this classic style.

Did you know? Several years ago, a replica of the first purple clay teapot crafted by today's most famous potter, Gu Jingzhou, was priced at 25 thousand US dollars.

Achievements made by potters of the last two dynasties

As the Ming dynasty faded, craftsmen endeavored to create original patterns. For example, some of them blended the features of ancient bronze or gold containers into their styles. Just like the bronze prototypes, purple clay teapots gained a more dignified and royal look.

The Qing dynasty (1644 - 1912) followed, and then artisans combined exquisite carvings with purple clay teapots. They looked at everyday things such as pets and plants and put them on their pots. Furthermore, a new practice came into force: When a potter finished a teapot, he would imprint his name and seal upon his work. This way everybody would recognize that this purple clay teapot was made by him.

After many years, some craftsmen wanted to engrave complex images and landscapes on purple clay teapots. During this time, many different kinds of traditional Chinese art were added to the crafting of purple clay teapots. The invention of new tools allowed them to make more intricate designs, like Chinese characters, that were previously impossible.

Contemporary development of purple clay teapots

From the fall of the Qing dynasty to new China's opening-up to the world in the mid-to-late 20th century, purple clay teapots went through a recession. Political and social problems in this time made crafting purple clay teapots a rare luxury. But after this time, purple clay teapot workmanship was revived, and more and more skillful potters came forward. They dedicated themselves to both tradition and originality.

However, natural resources are not infinite. Purple clay is inevitably going to be depleted sooner or later. To protect this valuable reserve, the Chinese administration enacted laws to limit the amount of purple clay that can be extracted from the Yixing mines. Presently, only a relatively small quantity of purple clay is allowed to be mined annually. So real purple clay teapots are becoming harder and harder to find.

About the Author:

Author J. Jia has studied Chinese pottery, paintings, and other art such as Chinese teapots for 20+ years. Occasionally, he endorses the work of certain potters. View some quality Yixing teapots here.

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Woodworking Guide To Common Wood Defects

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By Ryan Henders

All woodworkers should know that natural wood is unpredictable in quality and type. The key to good craftsmanship is working with what you have. This means taking that imperfect piece of work and doing something with it.

You may discover that the piece of wood you have picked out as a blue gray tinge to it. This is most often seen in pine, or sycamore and sometimes holly. It?s caused by a mold where it may have been stored that was too warm or not enough ventilation. The only solution is to use that piece of wood where it?s not likely to be seen, perhaps on the bottom of your project. If you are going to be using a dark stain then it?s not going to be a problem for you.

It seems no matter how hard you inspected your wood, that when you go it home you still notice a bow in it. This is often the result of poor storage where moisture evaporation was evident. It?s difficult to work with pieces like this. You can cut it into smaller pieces or if worse comes to worse then nail or screw into place but make sure the bulge is facing out.

Usually if you are going to detect any splits or crack in the wood you are going to see it at the end and it will run along the grains. Drying the wood too fast has created this problem. If the cracks are too bad not only will it affect the look of the finished project, it could weaken it as well. The only solution here is to work around the cracks, or if possible cut that section off and discard it.

If wood is not dried correctly and stored properly than its going to warp and be difficult to work with. You will often find that this wood was cut from the center of the tree. You can cut the high spots away with your table saw if necessary.

Another type of warping is along the face of the board edge to edge. It means that one face dried faster than the other did. It?s difficult to work with wood like this. You could try adding some pressure and letting it dry that way.

A dark knot in the wood can enhance its overall look unless it?s loose. This is as a result of a surface dead branch. Ideally, you will want to glue it in place, and then apply putty to it.

Excessive sap residue evident on the board was caused when the tree was injured in some way prior to cutting. Either cut it off or scrape it and fill the indent where it was.

Dark streaks normally caused by dull planer blades. Either sand it or cut it down. Other minor problems may be breaks, a tight knot, and twisted ends from warping. A good lesson is to learn about the various types of woods and imperfections and this will guide you in what to look for how to avoid the problem or at the very least perhaps correct it.

About the Author:

Over 12,000 shed plans and woodworking patterns. MyShedPlans is the one stop resource for woodworkers and shed builders. From free storage shed plans to woodworking projects, MyShedPlans cover them all!

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Wall Murals - How To Paint One Yourself!...

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By Anna Meenaghan

Have you ever really thought about doing this? The idea of it might be a bit awe inspiring at first, but if you don't fly into a panic, of course, this is possible. Now, all you need is a subject for your mural.

I would recommend that before you make a start on this, that you put in some groundwork on your wall. After all, you will need a clean surface to work on. So, I would say give your wall a good wash down first, this is to make sure that you have no unwanted grime or grease on it.

Do let it dry thoroughly. Personally, I would apply a primer first, like you would to a canvas, or simply apply just one coat of paint. This can only be an asset.

Second step, so now you have prepared your wall. How do you go about it? On the assumption this is quite a large area, I would recommend that you use a grid. For this you will need to work this out on some paper in the first place. Get a sheet of A3 paper and make a grid, draw 2 inch square boxes on it. Once this is done you need to work your design on and over the grid. If you have followed me so far, now you need to transfer the grid to your wall.

You can do this by using a chalk that will show up on the wall and you should not encounter too many problems when you try to remove this later. So, if you take each 2 inch square from your sheet of paper as a 2 foot square on the wall, you should get the gist. If your area is small you could do 1 inch to 1 foot! Whichever you do, the amount of squares need to be exactly the same as the grid you have drawn.

It is quite easy to fall into the trap of making the grid too small and thus making it hard to remove the chalk when you want too. Please bear in mind what you want to put in the grid, as it will need to have generally strong lines.

Basically, using this method you need to copy your sketch onto the matching squares on your wall. It is important too, before you paint, to consider which is the best type of paint to use. In most cases a good make of acrylic paint should work well, but, depending on the size of your mural, this could work out to be quite expensive.

However, you could also use an ordinary type of paint you would use for the house, for the large part of your painting, the background etc. The important parts could still be painted with acrylics, but do use a good brush.

One important fact to be taken into consideration, when you paint a mural, is that you are painting right on top of it all the time, so you need to take stock of it from a distance as you go along. It may well be that the sun will reflect on your work, so you would need to choose a paint with this in mind.

Anyway, you will not want the sun reflections coming off your work, so choose a paint with an eggshell finish or matt. You also could, when it is complete, brush on a clear varnish. Not only will this make it easier for you to keep it clean, but it will also act as a layer of protection.

About the Author:

If you enjoyed this guide written by Anna Meenaghan then you can discover a whole lot more at her internet based interactive art gallery website. Here you can discover anything related to art ranging from realism to abstract paintings, as well as video interviews with artists etc.

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Having Fun At the Traditions Craft Fair

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by Rick Amorey

A ringing of brass bells sounds out a chorus from the song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". There are six people swinging the milk-bottle sized instruments, and believe it or not, all of them have never lifted a bell around half an hour ago. These people are only a few of the hundreds reliving some of England's forgotten arts at an event called the Lancanshire's first ever Traditions Craft Fair. This took place recently at the Lockstock Hall High School.

According to the chairman of Maghull Parish Ringers from Liverpool, Simon Rennie, Lancanshire was once constantly graced with fun and festivities. Then, there was this idea from some bright fellow that if you have bells that were a lot smaller than Church Tower bells, then you can ring the bells anywhere. There's no better place to ring them than in a pub.

Other people, in addition to the bell ringers, are also showing off their treasured crafts to everyone. The aptly named Natasha Twigg, for example, was there holding an ancient wooden contraption while she fashioned flowers made from bark stripped from pieces of wood. And there's also Linda Courthold; she began her quilting as a form of therapy, but she has since branched out and has made a profit from it.

A small part of the fun is an activity called the Rag Rugging Workshop. Go into the packed hall and see stalls selling homemade fudge, some adorable paintings, and ornaments to boot. Include the band that plays traditional folk songs playing on; there are simply a multitude of things to try out.

There are a lot of other events that you may truly enjoy, other than the Lancanshire Craft Fair. And even better, you may decide to present your crafts for scrutiny, and who knows, you may even be able to earn extra money by becoming an amateur vendor! So, go on and show the world what you can do!

About the Author:
As a craftsperson, you should always be aware of the schedule of Craft Shows located close to your area. Check out Craft Fairs regularly, and have a successful small business using your own talents!

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Fun at the Park!

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by Mara Hernandez-Capili

Dolly Parton is the person behind Dollywood Park. Dollywood Park is a different theme Park, it does not only provide breath taking rides, it also holds lots of different annual festivities. Families can find the best adventure at Dollywood Park. Dollywood Park extends to 130 acres of land. The Park offers great deals for the whole family.

Dollywood is a home for four of the largest South Festivals. One of these is The National Kids Fest. Here Children are given priorities.Dollywood offers a lot of fun for kids in all ages. The festival will be hosted by Kratt Brothers, Kratt Brothers is famously known for their world wide animal adventures.

Kids Fest is a wild animal adventure having the Kratt Brothers to share their adventures and experience regarding animals locally and abroad. Kratt Brothers will share and introduce many animals and have the kids pet them. Kratt Brothers are the popular cast of Zoboomafoo TV show. The event allows kids get up close with small creatures, reptiles and many other kid friendly animals. This way, kids will get to share and differentiate one species from another. Kids' fest in Dollywood Park truly is a great place for animal adventure.

Aside from the Kratt Brothers, be on the look for other kids' fest roving characters. Roving characters are present to entertain guest throughout the park. They are instructed to bring smile to everyone present at the festival. Kids Fest also caters arts and crafts to kids of all ages.

Lastly, Dollywood kids' fest displays Sandscapes. Sandscapes are sculptures made out of plain sands. Dollywoods sandscapes is a 12-time World Sand Sculpture Champion. Sculptures are mostly themed after trains and animals. Sandscapes uses 75 tons of sands making it a must see inside the park. Displays of sandscape will only be available during kids' fest, and kids could enjoy watching sculptors as they build new amazing pieces.

About the Author:
Mara Hernandez-Capili is a writer and a researcher on events in Travel and Leisure. Visiting events such as craft fairs will open one's spirit on the beauty of the world beyond home's borders. If you're staying in the US, the author suggests checking out craft shows for entertainments to make your stay memorable.

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River and Spires Festival Inc

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by Sive Iver

There will be a River & Spires Festival, Inc on April 16 to April 18, 2009. This street festival will be held at the Downtown District, Clarksville, TN 37041. For the past 7 years there has always been a River & Spires Festival. The festival will is an outdoor, non juried craft show event.

Along the downtown district there will be 5 stages distributed to accommodate the 100 entertainers that will have a live performing. There will be a variety of music that you can enjoy from. There will even be one stage that will feature Christian stage.

On April 16 the vendors will be allowed to set up their booths from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. The River & Spires Festival, Inc will officially open their event on April 17 from 5:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. and on April 18 from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. The festival is a free admission and free parking for visitors and vendors.

Along the downtown area there will be parking spaces for visitors. One block away is the designated parking areas for the vendors. RV parking will not be allowed around the festival area. The public will have their 20 portable outdoor restroom units located around the festival area.

The promoters will not be providing electricity for the vendors. Water will be provided but will be limited. The promoters will not be providing for the table and chairs so vendors will need to provide for their own table and chairs.

The promoters are looking for 50 arts and craft vendors, 20 retail vendors and 25 food vendors. The arts, crafts and retail vendors will have a space fee of $150 10x10 includes Tent. The food vendor will be charged a percentage of their sale for the space fee. All types of handmade crafts and arts vendors are invited to apply. Retail vendors are also invited but will be assigned at a different area from the arts and craft vendors.

About the Author:
Sive Iver has created a business with crafts he made by attending some Tennessee Craft Shows. Attending some Tennessee Craft Fairs have added to his income.

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Improve Your Online Art Sales

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by Leigh-Ann Lemire

When researching online, I found many entries that gave advice for pricing art that mentioned you should go to Etsy and eBay to find comparable art and price yours the same way. This is a pretty good rule to follow but there are things to consider when pricing your art so that you make a profit.

Within your price, you need to include replacing the materials that you used otherwise you will not be able to make more art to sell. Additionally, you need to tack on another five percent so that you can get extra supplies to grow your art business. Your talent, skills and time that went into creating your art should also be taken into consideration. You are very valuable!

To boost your sales, write a detailed explanation about your piece of art. Be specific about the manner in which you created the work, the supplies that you utilized and interesting things about the piece or what happened when you were creating it.

What is the story about that piece of art that you created? How did you get inspired to do it? Weave a tale and it will enable you to sell more art online.

The most important point to know when selling your art online is - take great pictures. Taking great pictures tells a story that words alone cannot convey. It isn't hard to take great pictures of your art. To do so, place your creation on a black matte material on a flat surface such as the floor or a table. Then climb up a step ladder and take the picture from above.

Take many pictures, take close-ups of different parts of the artwork and be sure to include the full piece as well. Crop your pictures so that each one is the same width size so that the pictures line up neatly within the description.

You want to go for professionalism in your description, so photographs that align are one key point to keep in. Having photos the are different widths from tiny to huge looks unprofessional. Maintain consistency on the width to create professionalism.

As a note, the height can be different as long as the width is the same. The width should be between 400 - 500 pixels wide but no more. Doing so creates some white space around the photographs which makes viewing on a computer screen easy on the eye which means more likelihood that a person will be interested enough to read your description and look at your pictures.

The finishing touch of your online sales copy to sell your art should be to speak about the benefits of owning the painting to the potential buyer. After-all, you didn't do the piece of art for yourself, you did it for an audience. Don't focus on only speaking about yourself, write as if you are speaking to a single person.

You want your art to be owned by the person that it communicates the best to - so speak about the benefits of ownership such as pride, that it's original and no one else has one like it, it's signed, the colors are a perfect accent to a home or office and so on. Think of as many reasons you can that a person would want an original painting and add the info to your description.

A good idea is to add a short bio about you and your works. Make it two or three sentences maximum. This give your potential buyers more confidence in you.

To give an overall professional appearance to you text and picture presentation, create short paragraphs of no more than 4 sentences. Doing so makes the entire presentation more easy to read because of the amount of white space.

Have a great time selling your artistic creations and may you prosper.

About the Author:
Find out how to sell your art at Help 2 Succeed. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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Know the Competition When Selling Your Art on the Internet

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by Leigh-Ann Lemire

Knowing what your competition is actually doing is beneficial when it comes to selling your art on the internet.

Corruption in the art world and making a profit off of the hard work of artists is not a new subject. Artists copying the works of famous painters, including the signatures and then selling the works for a huge profit and factory hand painted art are just a few of the things your "competition" is up to that you need to watch out for.

An Imitator Selling for Less

Some years back, I knew a very talented artist that sold his art in an area for artists to sell at the ocean in Southern California. His style was western art that was textured and colorful with incredible sunsets and lighting. It went with any decor at home or in a business. He sold a lot, had repeat customers and referrals.

The area had many artists with booths. One of the regular artists saw the success of the western style painter. Instead of staying true to himself, he copied the work of the other - it didn't look as good. To make matters worse, he set his prices lower and took away business from the western style artist.

You can find the same thing now occurring online. Spend a while each week to look at what other artists are doing to ensure that you are not being copied. When describing your art, be sure to mention that it is original and that you have painted in the same style for a number of years.

Factory Produced Original Art

There are assembly lines of people that have one part of a painting to do before sending it on the conveyor belt to the next person who adds his part. The "artists" are trained to rapidly paint a certain part of a painting. The entire painting is done within a matter of a couple minutes.

You may find the most incredible huge painting that is framed for less than a hundred dollars - something just isn't right with that. A real artist is unable to purchase the supplies such as canvas and paints for the price the mass produced painting is sold for.

When you next see a seemingly gorgeous piece of art that is being sold for an extremely low price, you can guess it is created by the competition as above.

The Make a Buck Off Art People

I recently read an artist on how to sell art online thinking that there were going to be tips for artists to sell their works. The article was not about helping artists, it was about exploiting artists to make a living. It went into how to find cheap art and then sell it for a profit. It outlined how to find art at auctions, tag sales, thrift shops and other places. The article went on to say how it was more profitable to get paintings that were signed as you can get more money that way.

The article writer explained in detail how to take advantage of artists for your own profit. When selling your own paintings and creations, be sure to mention that it is an original painting that you created. Say that you are an artist that is selling your art to make a living.

Cut Rate Pricing

While researching, I found an original artist selling his works on eBay. For an artist, eBay has a huge amount of competition from low prices to the quantity available. Then there is the competition from the sellers of art that are explained earlier in this article.

This artist made sales but not in a way that would help him to stay in business. One of his auctions was for a matching set of three paintings. He did as his competitors did and put free shipping on the auction. The auction started at a ridiculously low price and ended at $150. For the size of the canvas and supplies - even if he got them at wholesale, plus pay for the shipping, the artist did not make any money. He didn't get any payment for his time. This artist in business was creating a "losing" instead of a living with his art.

Point out what is good, special and original with your art and forget about attempting to keep up with the competition. Know what your competition is doing, but don't do the same. You are your own real asset because you are authentic, original artist - you are very valuable.

About the Author:
Learn how to sell your art with the information, downloads, tips and services at Help 2 Succeed. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.

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