Native Cleburnite Wilma Reed came to art later in life than most members of the Johnson County Art Guild.

It took her several decades to act on an early notion.

“In the 1930s, we didn’t have art classes in any grade except third,” she said. “I recall drawing a purple thistle, which was a wild flower that grew all over the place at my family’s farm. I made an A-plus. From then on, the purple thistle was my favorite flower.”

Fast forward to the 21st century. Reed is so busy with myriad duties and callings that she scarcely has time to fit hobbies into the mix.

Of course, if you want something done, ask a busy person.

That’s how Cleburne Rotary Club was able to obtain one of Reed’s magical china paintings for its Art Exhibition and Auction on Thursday at Cleburne Conference Center at 1501 W. Henderson.

Reed’s piece will go to a lucky winner in the raffle.

As a medium, china painting is almost self-explanatory.

You take a finished piece of porcelain. You add a painted design. You fire it in a kiln to finalize the color.

“The first thing you do is clean the porcelain with alcohol so it has no oil or dirt on the surface,” Reed explained. “Mixing the paint is an important process. China painting is very similar to watercolors. You start light and build to dark. In oils, you start dark and build to light.

“Once you get your pattern on the china and do your first [coat of] painting, you fire it. That’s a process that requires a lot of skill. If it’s too hot, it may change the color. If it’s not hot enough, the color won’t mature.

“After you fire it, you sand it with very fine sandpaper and clean it with alcohol again. Then you keep adding color, painting and firing and painting and firing, until you have it the way you want it.”

It’s possible, Reed said, to rescue a botched effort.

“You can remove the fired paint using a solution called Wink that you can get in the grocery store. It will eat the paint off, but sometimes it will also made a difference in the surface of the porcelain. It may have eaten off the glaze as well. If that happens, you can apply a coat of glaze, fire it and then paint over that glaze. It’s fun, but it’s a process.”

For rank amateurs, there are shortcuts.

“There are studies you can purchase that will give you an outline you can transfer to the surface of the porcelain,” Reed said. “That will also give you the color the artist used to produce the original. But after a while, most people want to paint freehand. They don’t want to depend on someone else’s design, and they want their own color.”

Reed credits her love of china painting to a family member.

“My mother-in-law, Gladys Willmoth, started china painting late in life,” Reed said. “We began receiving those beautiful pieces she painted for the family. That inspired me to search out someone who could help me. I found one lady who taught and took six lessons from her. I found another teacher in Arlington and took about 10 lessons.

“I joined two clubs in Fort Worth that had excellent painters and program demonstrations. Sometimes, they would have a paint-in following a demonstration. It was similar to a workshop.”

Reed has not been particularly prolific.

“I haven’t done a lot of pieces,” she said. “I haven’t been competitive with the ones I have done. I haven’t put forth the effort that a lot of people have because I have all these other interests. But I do enjoy making gifts for friends and family.”

When she sees what other artists have done, she said, “I wish I’d done this earlier and kept it up. But I’ve enjoyed what I’ve done.”

Enjoyment may soon mean a step up in her outlook toward art.

“My intention is to become more serious about it, which means produce more pieces,” Reed said. “I really would like to become more proficient.”

She still teaches third-grade Sunday school at First Baptist Church.

She is marker chair for the Johnson County Historical Commission and regent for the Nathaniel Winston Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

She belongs to a group of Fort Worth china painters.

And she’s now a certified world traveler, having made two trips to Israel.

“I just got back from my second trip,” Reed said. “Israel is the only place I’ve ever really wanted to visit. The [length of plane flight] was overwhelming. When I got there, I had no sense of direction, but this time I’d done some historical and biblical research and was prepared for the flight.

“Then I purchased a road map of Israel so I could trace where we were. I got much more out of this experience.”

She gives, and gets, in her involvement with Johnson County history.

“A number of markers have been approved by the Texas Historical Commission, and we’ll be having those dedicating as the plaques are available,” Reed said. “Southwestern Adventist University has received its plaque. A home front marker signifies the Prisoner of War camp [formerly on West Henderson]. We’re planning a dedication for that. I love helping people do the research to meet the requirements for the markers. I also serve as a volunteer for the county museum we’ve created in the courthouse.”

In her future free time, she plans to paint her favorite flower on a piece of fine porcelain.

“You would think I would have done a purple thistle before now, and I never have,” she said. “I probably need to do that.”