16/03/2026
·Ink Gragon tea cup
The cup is painted with layered “ink” tones—light and dark flowing across the curved surface.
The lighter areas feel like mist, while the darker tones give weight and shape to the dragon’s body.
Through careful use of empty space, the clouds seem to “breathe” and emerge naturally.
A touch of iron-red brings everything together—subtle, restrained, yet quietly powerful.
From a craftsmanship perspective, this piece is not easy to make:
First, controlling the ink on a curved surface is extremely challenging.
Too much liquid and it runs or pools. Each layer has to stop exactly where it should, while still keeping the transitions clean and smooth.
Second, the layering of ink.
To achieve depth, the artist builds multiple tones—wet, dry, light, and dark—creating texture and movement.
At the same time, details like the dragon’s scales, whiskers, and surrounding clouds must remain sharp and alive.
Otherwise, the whole piece can easily look muddy.
Third, the stability of the iron-red.
After painting, the piece usually goes through a second low-temperature firing to fix the color.
If the heat is not controlled properly, the red can turn dull or dirty.
