During my show in Woodland Park, two lovely ladies told me that Full Spectrum ran by my good friend and mentor Coral was closing. I couldn’t / wouldn’t believe it. Then my friend Cathy (whom I met through Coral) emailed me and told me the same thing. Again, I refused to believe it. My plan was to go see Coral, but I was working mid-shifts so it took me a while to visit her. The night before I went to see her, I literally had a nightmare about her leaving. I walked in and didn’t even say hi, I just said please tell me it’s not true.
Well, it is TRUE, she is selling her business, and she was leaving to be with her fiancé. I literally started crying and she hugged me and told me it was going to be alright. BTW I must have heard her telling 20 people the same thing, it will be OK. BTW she is selling it to stained glass artist who is also a fuser, so the shop will remain open but it won’t be the same for me without Coral. She’s going to be missed by so many people.
It’s so crazy, I don’t get to see Coral as much as I’d like because she’s on Fillmore and I’m in Falcon – about a 40 min drive. I’ve known her for over 20 years. She was my first fused glass teacher. I took every fused glass class she offered. Anyway, I’m heartbroken, she is kind, knowledgeable, talented, giving, and she’s, my friend. Just writing this post is making me want to cry all over again.
I’m going to miss you terribly Coral.
A while back I took a class with Coral that I’ve been wanting to take for a long time. It was her birds on a wire class. I also took a class with Lela at Coral’s – Filigree Suncatchers.
Because I believe in purchasing art from artist I respect, I have also bought some of Coral’s artwork. Below are just a few pieces I’ve bought from her over the years. I love her stained glass and how creative she is.
Coral was having a sale so needless to say, me along with all of her other loyal customers showed up and bought all kinds of supplies. I heard everyone saying how much they will miss her too. At least I’m not alone in my misery.
Please understand, I am HAPPY for Coral – she is a strong and wonderful woman who deserves to be happy. I realize I am being totally SELFISH because it’s about me not having Coral close by when I need her to mentor and inspire me.
Thank you, Coral, for your friendship, your mentorship, for sharing your love of fused glass with me, and so much more. I love you, my friend!
If you would like to see more of my fused glass work, please refer to my website Elegant Fused Glass by Karen. If you get a chance, check out all my site and my Elegant Fused Glass by Karen YouTube. If you’d like to take a class please check out the information on my site about my classes. If you would like to stay abreast of what I’m up-to check out our newsletter. It is published the last day of each month.
Keeping my kiln warm,
Karen
