These are some strange days we’re living in. My Facebook feed is filled nearly evenly with people struggling and worrying about the effects the novel Coronavirus is having on their families, their jobs, and their plans and others who are certain this whole thing is an overreaction, like when a weatherman gets really excited and hypes a snowstorm that never materializes. Me? I think it’s going to be a major situation very soon but I’m not 100% sure. So I’m trying to be flexible, use common sense, and not panic. Although I did feel the need to go to Costco and buy a lot of frozen veggies. But I was able to see the humor in it when I noticed the guy, standing in line in front of me, with his cart filled with cheese and gin. If there’s a quarantine, he’s ready! I’m also really lucky to work alone most of the time (no social distancing needed), in a studio behind my house (no commuting fears), and to have been working on this commission at the time all this madness started going down. I blasted the rust off the steel blade, creating some depth and texture on the metal with my grinder. Then I dug into my yellow fusible glass and created petals that feel warm and inviting. I surrounded the flower with some light green leaves (a bit hard to see in this image) which give the flower a ring of support between itself and the metal. Finally, I loosened it up with some whimsical, spiraling wire and attached more deep green leaves in the background. Creating this didn’t change the tenor of the news but it made it a little more bearable. I hope you all have some beauty, joy, and laughter in your life to help keep you moving forward during these challenging days. Stay well and WASH YOUR HANDS!