paints that must be mixed with oil , and multiple steps to complete . McGuckin draws her original designs in pencil as a reference , paints the item by hand , and then it ’ s placed in a kiln for firing . Most projects require multiple steps of painting and firing , to achieve the desired colors and overall effect . As a left-hander , she even utilizes brushes especially made for lefties .
“ With any piece you have to plan it out ,” she said . “ I do the pencil drawing on paper to refer to , because when you fire a piece , you can lose details of your design . It ’ s a very unforgiving medium , with very little room for error . But if you can do watercolors , you can do porcelain .
“ What I like about china painting is that you can add to it ,” she continued . “ With canvas you have so many walls , you fill them up , and where do you go from there ? With china you can add in things , like small butterflies or flowers , for example , which enhance the design and cover any flaws in the original china or the design .
“ One of the cool things is that I don ’ t limit myself ,” she said . “ It ’ s something I can lose myself in .”
While she does occasionally sell some of her work , like Christmas ornaments , most of her pieces are given as gifts to family , friends and others . McGuckin said she considered becoming a professional artist , but ultimately decided against it .
“ My dad told me that if I wanted it to remain a hobby , not to put things up for sale ,” she said . “ Keeping it as a hobby rather than a business keeps it fun . Plus , it ’ s a time-intensive activity that is fairly expensive . But each season I do have pieces I put out .”
As mentioned above , McGuckin grew up in Norman , where her father , John Goodno , founded and operated Goodno ’ s Jewelry Store . She and her husband , Mack Mc- Guckin , eventually took over the business , later passing it along to their son , Randy . Since retiring , she ’ s been able to focus on painting full time .
Although she had earned a home economics degree from the University of Oklahoma and had no background in art , McGuckin ’ s interest in china painting came about naturally , and she began painting in 1975 .
“ My mother started taking china painting lessons in Oklahoma City ,” McGuckin said . “ I would drive her to class , and then she started paying for lessons for me as well , and then we would have lunch afterward . So , it became a special thing , and we both learned at the same time .”
Several years later , she would also learn techniques from her mother-in-law , fellow porcelain painter Aline Mc- Guckin . Over the years she became involved in the local chapters of the World Organization of China Painters ( WOCP ) and the International Porcelain Artists & Teachers Association ( IPAT ), serving as president and officer for the latter ’ s Norman and Oklahoma City chapters . Through her involvement with these organizations , she said , she ’ s had the opportunity to study with fellow artists from Australia , Brazil and Spain and to compete against china painters from around the globe .
Painting on porcelain and bisque is a skill that ’ s rapidly becoming a lost art , and McGuckin said that being left-handed makes it more difficult to teach her craft to others , although she has taught in the past . For now , however , she ’ s focused on passing along her skills to daughter , Shellie Thompson , ensuring that the family talent will continue into the third generation . They have plenty of material to work with , as McGuckin ’ s home and garage are fully stocked with a huge variety of solid white china items , just waiting to be painted .
“ China painting used to be very popular , but it ’ s not now ,” she noted . “ It ’ s expensive and time-consuming ; it ’ s not like a canvas that you can do in one sitting . Often younger people don ’ t have the time or funds , but I would encourage anyone who wants a very fulfilling hobby to try it .”
Meanwhile , McGuckin has no plans to stop making her own one-of-a-kind creations .
“ Sometimes I think I should stop , but I enjoy it ,” she said . “ I do feel I ’ m leaving a piece of me behind , and that ’ s good .”
A McGuckin work in progress . NormanMagazine . com | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 23