The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-10-16
BY MYRTLE MILES

What an ideal place for an artists out
ing is Mackinaw island, with soft blue
sunsets and gentle waves, still trees and
rare, opaleseent twlights when the moon
as It rises over the water casts a silver
radiance as far as eye can see, and the
nights are the verses of a poem! 1t
was there that Mrs. j B. Raulston spent
the summer months. Idleness would have
been impossible to one with her apprecia-
ton and love of color. SO that her days
with family of charming friends were
as the leaves of a sketch book. Gen.
Walter Newberry and his family, whose
guest she was, have a beautiful cottage
on the lake front. From her windows
Mrs. Raulston has painted glimpses of the
water and stretch of overhansing trees,
or from a balcony a view of a graceful
boat riding the waves under low hanging
clouds. Many of her artistic Impressions
were brought back with her and a visit
in her lovely studio brings about one the
atmosphere of that lovely place and the
Influence of her circle of attractive
friends.
Mrs Raulston is one of the leading
ceramic artists in the SOUTH her recog-
milton goes even beyond its confines, In
deed. for her name on a bit of porcelain
gives a value that is readily appreciated
by lovers of this fragile and beautiful
ware. Her brush is not only that of the
trained painter; the taste of a woman
of exquisite culture guides it as well. She
has spent many of her summers in travel.
Europe often claims her and after each
visit she returns with the loveliest treas
ures, some of them her own produc-
lions after studies of the priceless old
relics of Sevres. or Wedgewood in the
Louvre. and other famous old world gal
Iaries, or done after the futricately beau
tifuI fashion of modern Dresden. Her
early years were passed In England, for
she is a native Englishwoman, and in
the home of her artist mother at Taun-
ton, Somersetshire. were inculcated many
of the principles which have given her
success Speaking of her girlhood the
other morning she said my mother
painted and sketched as long as she lived;
she was essentially a lover of the arts
and it was her desire that each of her
children should give at least her leisure
moments to music or painting. The
decoration of china became fad about
that time and l adopted it in connec-
zion with my study of drawing. Later,
when we came to America so that my in
valid mother might live among the
North Carolina pines, and even after
ward during my life in Chicago, I pur-
sued the study of ceramics because I
loved it,"
There are few who have followed 1t
with such care or so lofty an aim. Mrs.
Raulston's china is wonderful for its
perfection of detail; she openly envies
those artists who are able to give
year to the production of one or two
pieces with the object of perfecting it
80 that ii may be as nearly perfect as
possible This reminded me of the adage
80, q I<rax md ri so m re
Raulston as she came back from her
kiln. where she was firing a handsome
bowl which is to be a gift to a November
bride "Longi" she calculated. at Is
endless And reaching over she grasped
q sketchbook which lay on the table
near and turning its pages showed dozens
Of flower pictures, scroll designs and in
tricate suggestions for oonventionalized
blossoms and berries. These are some
designs made for my pupils this sum
mer" she remarked You say that art
is long,? Just imagine the hundreds of
beautiful inspirations have. and remem-
Der the length of time required to repro
Auce each on china after working out the
6rst hasty sketch" And in my hand
salad plate whose decoration was bor-
der of conyentionalized dahlias done in
the fiat enamel which is the newest and
most difficult mode, I said: when one
follows her inspirations as conscientious
~ as you follow yours, time indeed is
the price one pays. This workmanship
n marvellous. The petals of your flow
~rs are almost microscopic, yet you have
wrought into them an exQusiteneSs of
detail" Mrs. Rauiston smiled and said,
$50 often people say to me- Why do you
attempt such difficult tasks? There are
20 many pretty designs that one can
make with little effort ! always answer
that I prefer to go forward instead of
standing still. This summer I have I'M
dertaken the japanese type of decorat-
ing and so saying she exhibited bon
bon box whose enameled flowers were as
quaint and lovely as one can find on those
direct from Nippin or Tokyo. One uses
for this the cracked china which is to
Be found in Satsuma ware and Mrs.