Denver-based artist Carolyn 
Barlock’s love of art began when her grandmother took her to the Colorado Institute of Art (now the Art Institute of Colorado) for summer drawing classes when she was 9 years old. Her grandmother, an artist herself who painted on porcelain, recognized the talent in her granddaughter. “She was the grandmother that always had watercolors, paints, and stuff to draw with,” Barlock remembers. “She encouraged all her grandchildren in art, but I was the only one who ever took it up.”

​After receiving her associate’s degree in 1967, Barlock began working in porcelain. At first she painted scenes and portraits on her pieces, but she then moved into using techniques of ancient porcelain decoration and enameled art inspired by works from the Chinese Ming dynasty. “If you look in history museums, the one thing that always impresses me about porcelain is its lasting quality,” she says. For the last few decades she has focused on the use of 22-karat Florentine gold and ancient Persian lusters on her works, earning international recognition. “I love art that will stand the test of time and span generations, whether it’s sculpture, paintings, porcelain, or beadwork,” she says. “That’s what I love about porcelain—it’s not only useable and functional but lasting in quality and beauty.” --Joe Kovack