Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)
Cold porcelain: An old practice gains new crop of devotees
January 2, 2004
Section: TICKET
Page: 29
KEVIN COSTELLO CORRESPONDENT
Yvonne Santiago came to the United States from Tegucigalpa, Honduras when
she was 18, bringing with her a love of home-based craft making, a common
feature of Central and South American culture.
"Spanish people are taught a lot of crafts at home, and I continue to do
that," she said. "We are taught to do arts and crafts to open our minds."
Having pursued artistic hobbies throughout her life, Santiago learned about
cold porcelain and began creating reproductions of natural
flowers about five years ago.
Her work has been seen at arts and crafts shows at Siesta Key, Selby
Botanical Gardens and the Florida and Manatee Garden Club in Bradenton. She
was recently invited to attend the International Cold Porcelain
and Sugar Crafts Show in York, England.
Cold porcelain originated in South America. It is a
pliable, sculptural medium that has the same touch as Asian porcelain,
but is lighter and requires no kiln firing in order to harden.
Santiago sells the paste from her home, 905 Fruitland Ave., where she
gives classes in porcelain modeling techniques. Students start with
shaping flowers (Santiago is fond of orchids), then graduate to fruits,
floral landscapes, birds and figurines.
Cold porcelain is not well known in the United States, but
it is an increasingly popular medium in Europe, South America and Australia,
where it is used for cake decorations, bridal bouquets and flower
arrangements, along with craft modeling.
Cold porcelain's "secret ingredients," says Santiago, allow
for great plasticity. It is first rolled out to the desired thickness like
bread dough, then a cutter is used to cut the paste into the required shape.
Once the objects are dry, they are painted with food coloring. The dry,
shaped paste exhibits the same texture and delicate sheen as the finest
fired porcelain.
For those with limited space at home and moderate hand strength, cold
porcelain may provide an aesthetically pleasing alternative.
INTERESTED?
For information on cold
porcelain, call Yvonne Santiago at 727-7293 or access
www.coldporcelaincreations.com
Caption: COURTESY PHOTO
Cold porcelain sculptures like this pink rose have the same
feel as Asian porcelain, but don't require firing in a kiln to
harden.
