Porcelain Museum & WOCP

A long time ago, I was hiking with my parents when my dad spotted a rock. I thought, "Yeah, just some rock. Great, Pop." But when we got the rock home, he smacked it with a hammer and inside was an earthtone geode. It forever changed my perception on judging a book by its cover. The same could be said for a new discovery for me, The Porcelain Museum in Oklahoma City. It also houses the World Organization of China Painters (WOCP) started by Oklahoma Native Pauline Salyer in 1967.

The building has a humble facade, which director Erin Merryweather is fully aware of and working on. But, like the geode, what's on the inside will amaze you. I spoke with Erin and volunteer Pam to get a peek into the world of Porcelain that I had no idea about. In my mind, porcelain is what fine china is made from and it's pretty. That's all I had until I visited with them. What I didn't realize was the painstaking process that making beautiful art on porcelain can be. Paint is applied layer by layer, but each layer must be fired in a kiln to preserve it properly. Some of these pieces of art can be twenty layers of work! That means paint, dry, fire in the kiln, let it cool, and repeat all while making sure you don't break the fragile medium you're working on.

Not only did I learn a lot while I was there, but I also got to see some absolutely stunning works of art. Again, my perception of porcelain was limited to plates, Ming vases and the like. But I saw works here that were like most other paintings, on flat surfaces and framed. It's just the process of creating the work is different. I have a few pictures that turned out, but you really need to go see each of these pieces to see the detail involved. They have pieces from all over the world like Germany, Japan, and...Missouri to name a few. They have vases, plates, portraits, Halloween and Christmas decorations, tea sets, and dolls in traditional and modern styles. So great!

The WOCP has classes, workshops, and special speakers at their facility. They also have a convention every two years, the next one being in Tennessee. You can start learning porcelain painting with a helpful group of people that were happy to let me take a picture of their work area. This isn't one of those classes where you drink wine and knock out a painting of a tree for your living room wall. Don't get me wrong, those are fun and can be done in a couple of hours. But if you want to get into a seriously beautiful hobby or profession, consider China Painting. At the very least, you should visit the Porcelain Museum and see what you've been missing.

Porcelain Art Museum & WOCP

2700 N. Portland, Oklahoma City

405-521-1234

WOCP.org

Jonathan Elmore ©2025