Painted Holiday Ornaments on Porcelain with Paola Bari
Sunday, November 9
2 – 4 pm
at Wallkill River Center for the Arts
Painting holiday ornaments on porcelain is a festive and creative activity where you decorate ceramic ornaments — Christmas balls or snowflakes—using special porcelain paints. After painting your design, the ornaments will be fired in a kiln to set the colors, resulting in a glossy, permanent finish. It’s a fun way to add a personal touch to holiday décor or create handmade gifts.
All materials provided (paints, tools, 1 or 2 ornaments, firing).
Born in Melzo, Italy, Paola first discovered porcelain during art classes in middle school, and she was immediately captivated by its unique qualities. Porcelain is a remarkable ceramic material—light, translucent, and elegant—yet it possesses a strong and resilient structure. Originating in China around 2,000 years ago, it has since become deeply rooted in European culture, where schools dedicated to porcelain decoration are quite common.
After ending her career as software system engineer at IBM Corporation in Poughkeepsie, NY, Paola devoted most of her time to porcelain painting. She is a certified porcelain artist with the International Porcelain Artists and Teachers. Paola is one of the original co-founders of RiverWinds Gallery in Beacon, NY and one of the founders of Gallery 40 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Paola’s artworks appeared at the Barnes & Noble in Poughkeepsie, Denise Bibro Fine Art Gallery, Byrdcliffe Barn Pottery, Albert Shahinian Fine Art Gallery and James Cox Gallery, all in New York. Paola primarily works with overglaze paints and closed medium to obtain vibrant colors once fired at 1450F with addition of precious metals to create interesting images and patterns.
