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THE ARTIST AND THE ALCHEMIST ... When stepping into Gherghina’s studio one can feel her relentless drive for experimenting with both form and matter... Using sediments from lakes and deep caves or mixing wood and plant ashes to produce unusual glazes, making the porcelain slip with rain water and incorporating glass and ceramic fiber during the body preparation, are just a few techniques that she has been working on recently. Hard porcelain has been her specialty for many years but she is now equally engaged in using the soft porcelain (bone china) as well as a wide range of colored stoneware clays. These new additions in her studio technique will be featured in the October 2006 Solo Exhibition when she intends to surprise many who are familiar with her traditional style. An absolute novelty is the use of small samples of deep caves sediments in the form of unconventional glazes, reach in iron oxides and applied directly on the porcelain (hard or bone china) surface . These experiments will be extended to other natural sources. The Nabertherm 200/14 electric kiln, the heavy duty power mixer and more recently the modern potter’s wheel are the essential pieces of equipment being frequently used in her studio. She prefers to work alone as each and every art piece requires careful manipulation. Attention to detail is a must in this workplace. Each piece is subject to a careful examination before going into the kiln and it may take from one to three firing cycles before it is considered finished.