Community

Earlier this month I participated in the Denton Community Market, an outdoor market that sets up on the second Saturday of each month on Carroll Boulevard in Denton, Texas. I arrived, set up my tent and then set our my wares to join the sale. I really had no idea what to expect or who might be there but as the morning progressed, I realized that this was a very special event in which I was participating. The market was full of arts, crafts, plants, food, and music but most importantly, the market was full of the sense of community. Webster says that a community is a unified body of individuals : a group of people with a common history or common social, economic, and political interests. The participants of the market were a community, a community working to make an event that would enrich our city. At this market I saw old friends that had spent most of their lives building the sense of community in others and a new generation who were following their vision and working for the good of all. Sometimes we need reminders that life is always full of potential for great things to happen. The Denton Community Market is one of them.…..Robin

Late Night at the Studio

Yesterday was a late night at the studio. I was in a jewelry making mood and thought I would make some glass pieces to incorporate into my jewelry. Fused glass is made by heating compatible glass in a kiln until the glass becomes molten which usually happens at about 1500 degrees. These jewelry pieces were taken to a "full fuse" which means the different layers of glass were taken to such a high temperature that they look like one piece of glass. The incredible colors are made by using dichroic glass which is glass that has a special coating. The magic of dichroic glass is that it reflects one color and transmits a different color so it's color appears to change when you look at the glass from different angles. When you fuse glass you have to let the glass anneal in the kiln which means you slowly bring the temperature of the kiln down. If things cool too fast, things can shatter. The first picture is a "before" picture of the glass in the kiln and the second picture is an "after" picture of the completed jewelry pieces. These colors make me think Spring is just around the corner. ; ) Robin