I have had a good, actually, very good residency for the past three weeks but leave-taking is difficult for me.  Off at 6:00 am this morning to the Budapest airport with a kind, courteous and clean taxi service arranged by the ever efficient Emese. Deb was up at 5:30 to sit with me, eat oatmeal, drink coffee and see me off.

The third week was full of surprises in addition to the wonderful two days we spent in Budapest in sweltering conditions… Tim Andrews, a raku artist from Devon, and Marianne Ban from Budapest, a musician who makes small loved objects, were teaching at ICS.   Both were most generous with their time and ideas – lots to be enjoyed and learned and as an additional bonus, Maria Gestler arrived with her packed car to load her favourite gas kiln.  She is a model for us all, working incredibly energetically, measuring her spaces and filling the kiln as I have seen rarely filled, still working with her beautiful forms and gracing her surfaces with her screen printing and free form brush work.

As my cabbie and I drove through the lush countryside I was moved by the way things had changed so dramatically since I arrived three weeks ago – touching down to a barren, cold land to now have lush coniferous trees in bloom, and the flowers gone all too early because of the unseasonabe 30 degree heat.  I thought about the good things at the institute – the wonderful sense of morning with the clanging church bells and the song birds joining in chaotic song – the delight at the end of the day in having a beer or glass of wine with Deb and sometimes an other who would join us after a day of saying little and working in the comfort and stress of our own studios before we went out to dinner, deciding which of our restaurants we would go to.  The daily rhythm of the studio will be remembered and definitely missed.

It has been two weeks since I arrived at the International Ceramics Studio (ICS).  I have done little but work in my studio so familiar to me as it is the same space I worked in three years ago.  Aside from our work, Debra and I go out for evening meals, shop for staples, talk with the other artists and students in residence and spend some time looking at exhibits and the ever wonderful buildings of the town.  One more week to finish up after loading the first and only bisque during my stay.

Three weeks is a brief time to do a residency, but I am surprised at the freedom that comes with such a short period for exploration, and also the amount of work that I have been able to complete.  And then, there are the artists who move in and out of the space who always have things to offer and exchange, the ever helpful people who work here and do everything possible to make stays worthwhile and creative.  There is a very positive energy at the studio encouraged by a working day to rejuvenate the studio grounds  (spring clean-up) now that the sun is out after a long cold winter and goulash was made by the returning Bepo and palinka  was enjoyed by all.

Deb is busy, almost frantic actually, getting ready for an exhibit opening next Saturday while I seem to have more time on my hands.  We were able to pack this kiln really tightly and are getting more even heat on the top and bottom and actually have back pressure in the bottom peep hole while the temperature still rises.

At 2200 F we are beginning to get a little impatient and shouldn’t be really as this is a critical time in the firing – reduction is completed and we’re trying to equalize bottom and top, clear the kiln all while trying to reach 2300 degrees F, or what is known as cone 10.

We wind down at 3:00 pm, taking longer than we thought – the bottom is again about a cone higher than the top.  We will wait the requisite time for cooling to about 250 degrees F and open the following day. Some of the results of this firing are in the colours!  Lots to think about and work on.

Such a rich few months since the completed installation of the kiln – looks beautiful, doesn’t it?  Deb and I have fired it a couple of times but know we need to know so much more about it to make it really work.

In the interim since the summer, I’ve cleaned up a  wasp ground nest and released the queen (not me exactly doing this) canned with my friend Gladys (seems she and some of our friends have been doing this for years) made multitudes of Christmas cakes for the season with my friend Daphne (almost all gone) as well as spent many hours working in the studio throwing on the wheel, perfecting my inlay techniques (still having a challenge with over glazes) and casting my tiles.  I’m pleased with some of my work but still have a way to go.  I need to get some of my work photographed and update the website as well, but for the most part, the work has been steady and learning “what I forgot” is constant.

Debra and I were fortunate to take a workshop with Paul Scott at Emily Carr in the fall – lots of wonderful information but like anything, even though we went to work on the techniques right away, doing it is much harder than it looks.  However, it is good to be back in the studio – now, if I can just do the blog more consistently!

I spent a few days on Hornby Island visiting some of the local artisans there and generally being inspired by their work and their ability to work in a relatively isolated environment through the year.  I have been spending time “learning what I forgot” – a little frustrating but after so many years of not being in my studio on a regular basis.  I have found it a challenge to establish a routine and get down to work – partly because I am not having a huge amount of success.

However, there are glimmers of light and that of course comes with regular work in the studio and diligence in recording what I have done.  A few examples of my recent low-fired work…. Hopefully, I’ll soon have some medium and high fired work to show.

What’s next?  Pouring over old glaze recipes to see what might work in taking the temperature to cone 10, formulating or purchasing a good slip for casting and clay for throwing and then doing a test kiln – hopefully sooner than later, but knowing clay can’t be rushed, probably a few weeks from now.

Leaving ICS with Debra and her husband T-Bones to spend a rainy, windy weekend in Budapest at the wonderful Gellert luxuriating in the baths, walking the streets of this lovely city so rich in visuals and history, while enjoying the unique food and the warmth of the people.

On Tuesday, up early – Deb and T to make one last trip to the Great Market Hall and I wanted one last dip in the pool (never made it). We made our way by taxi to the airport – about a half hour away – quick, inexpensive with the added benefit of a courteous driver. I do wish I spoke some Hungarian though … such a challenging language and so few of the people speak any English here it makes real communication challenging. That said, I did enjoy the people and look forward to the next time I am fortunate enough to visit.

Istanbul..

We skirted the boulevards in our wonderfully cool van and dropped passengers in narrow streets where it seemed impossible to negotiate two cars at a time – courtesy, pressing horns, taking turns backing up slowly, everone waving hands giving directions until we finally were on our way to our hotel.  We were dropped on a main street where buses and taxis teamed up the hill. Adding to the din of general traffic was an overhead commuter train every few minutes. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia were just a few blocks away and the mezzuin seemed to be competing with each other for air space – all in all, an almost distressing cacaphony of sound for me.  We entered the Hotel Emma Saray to be greeted by four charming, talkative men who had assumed management of the hotel a few months ago. While pleasant, they generally had little concept as to how a hotel should be run and as we were there for the week, we had ample opportunity to know they were out of their depth….. but that is a blog for another time.  However, the week-long visit was rich and we loved the city and our time there – the food, the people, the Turkish monuments and baths will ensure I will return again.  Enjoy some of the photos of our time in Budapest and Istanbul…

We unloaded the large gas kiln on the weekend and were greeted with a few surprises…. lots was packed in, and gas kilns have a life of their own once they are bricked up.  Jakab’s brick support for my tall form worked in part but a real sculptural element was added when one of Debra’s backdrop walls toppled on  it during firing and caused what Jakab laughingly calls the domino effect – I think he and Klari have seen pretty much everything in terms of clays and firing in their many years here with visiting artists and students.

It is a busy week here – Imre Shrammel and Roswitha Geyer have returned to complete the work  begun last March and are doing a salt firing – it is fascinating to watch them work together with such energy, concentration and curiosity.  The students have had their critiques and most have left and a new crew of students and teachers from Kansas have arrived.  In addition to this the institute has been notified that some work on one of the most historic parts of the building will begin in 9 days and massive amounts of work have to be moved to some place safe in this phenomenally busy place so this process can begin.

Debra and I had our “trunk show” which was largely driven by her idea that we needed to display our progress and processses.  It was curated by her as she fussed, organized and re-arrangned the pieces over a few days – all to a good result I believe.  It shed new light on our work and when we had an “opening” for ICS staff, artists and students, we were so pleased at the amount of attention and critical comment they gave our work.  The thoughtfullness and  carefullness made both of us feel so positive about the progress we have made and the directions we can work in the next while.

So, while I have sadness at leaving, I am so grateful for the space that this environment has provided me to explore what I want to do, where I want to go, and  the attention that has been given to me by the staff in supporting me in this endeavor.  The physical environment of ICS promotes this nurturing, but it is the people who work here who support us as artists to enable our work to evolve to something greater than it was before and all I can do is offer thanks.  So, thank you Janos, Jona, Klari, Jakab, Ildiko, Steve, Emese, Bepo and Emma.