A memorable day.  Debra and I took on the task of loading the medium-sized gas kiln, having been encouraged to use it by Klari  who felt we had enough work to fill it and it is more cost effective.  It is literally putting all of  your eggs in one basket though as it does hold the majority of our work completed the last two months.  We woke up to a few hours of finishing our glaze work – of course it took more time than we thought it would and I wasn’t happy with some of my technique but there was no time to re-do so I’ll just have to live with the results or recycle.

Our work is remarkably compatible to load – I had many flatter pieces – about 26 tiles and other lower level bowls, and Debra had her army of porcelain babies and cast dogs to fill in the areas around the tiles.  Her larger animals and babies fit well with my taller pieces – We had lots of help from Jakab and Klari, particularly with the loading of my taller, more delicate, even flimsy pieces where Jakob nestled one of them between gwo bricks.  Klari and Jakab regaled us with the tale of Maria Geszler loading three cello forms in the top of this same kiln and they talked about the domino effect when one leaned into the other for a fixed grouping of three and implied I might be lucky and obtain the same results!  I guess we’ll know in two days.

While loading, we went to listen to Janos Probstner give critiques to two of the Turkish students who will be leaving on the weekend for Ankara.  Deb and I have become fond of Izzet and Gomsa and wanted to see the display of their efforts. Both opened with a statement of what their “concept” was (very big here) and Janos gave thoughtful, considered analysis of their work, and it was insightful to listen to him and his comments.  Afterwords, everyone in the studio was invited to a treat of genuine homemade goulash outside, just before a torrential downpour with thunder and lightening that drove eveyone for cover.