Molly started painting on porcelain with a local teacher 30 years ago. She has since gone to the Midwest and southern California where the art of china painting is still alive and well. While there, she studied with several teachers who trained in German porcelain factories. The method and "paints", really powdered glass, are still the same after 200 years.
Her first teacher, when she first started painting, had to dry her work and send it to Chicago to be fired. Molly loads her china in the kiln in the evening and like magic it's ready in the morning. All pieces require a minimum of three firings. Most require more, as porcelain will “blister” if too much paint is applied at one time. Also, different colors sometimes need to be fired at different temperatures.
Molly states, "Even after 30 years, I am still learning. The technical and the artistic part still hold many mysteries."