Denton County Living Well Magazine July/August 2016 | Page 34

to present love, art, imagination, and belief in and to others.”
Glass, she soon decided, would become the platform through
which she would accomplish this mission.
A Creative Science
So how does it work? It may be an art form, but Ray says the
science behind glass blowing is remarkably intricate.
Glass melts at 2,300 Fahrenheit, which Ray points out is the
hottest thing on earth. “The working temperature is 2,100 degrees,” she says. And at this point, light is key.
“Glass is like a crystal,” Ray says. “You know it already has
these beautiful qualities and you put light through it. And all of
a sudden you’re completely transforming a room.”
She explains that she believes the more one understands the
science behind it, the more they can push the material. “Glass
naturally teaches one to be a creative thinker—to think outside the box” she says. “There are so many colors. The more
you’re aware of physics and math and science in art, the
more colors are brought to the chemistry lab. It’s this whole
really symbiotic relationship.”
It’s a Team Sport
Another important relationship in glassblowing, Ray emphasizes, is the team.
“Finding people who are also passionate about what they
do, if it’s in lighting or if it’s my resin specialist, is one of the
greatest gifts,” she says. “You feel a part of something larger
than yourself.”
She also notes that glassblowing is a niche where artists will
be very limited if they try to work alone but that team doesn’t
have to all be made of veterans. It’s a team of diverse skills
and a perfect platform for education.

From previous page
team for about two years before finally returning to Texas
to work on her own studio and give back to the community
that raised her.
Difference Brings Revelation
While Ray will share that it has been an incredible journey,
she stresses it hasn’t always been an easy one.
As a young student, Ray discovered she was dyslexic. “Being
learning different, you can feel stupid or inadequate,” Ray
expresses. However, while attending the Episcopal School of
Dallas, in seventh grade, she had a revelation.
“Our headmaster, Father Swann, talked about our ‘path’,”
she says. It was then that I wrote in my journal and reflected
upon that with which I struggled, being learning different, and
where I sought balance.
She realized her great fortune in having a family and extended community that cared for and supported her. “I was safe,
believed in, and loved,” she says. “This became my mission
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DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2016

Sixteen year old Booker T. Washington High school student
Simon Waranch has seen this truth first hand. After a freshman
class trip to Italy, where he was first exposed to glassblowing,
Waranch knew he had to try it for himself. “I was excited
about seeing something turn from liquid to solid so quick and
how there was obviously a process towards the magic,” he
says.
After taking a class with Ray, he completed an apprenticeship
and was later asked to continue as a teacher. “What keeps
my passion growing is there are so many different techniques
of how to blow glass, and I want to learn all of them,” he says.
Being part of Ray’s team allows him to do that.
“It’s not only about your skills with the material but it’s also
your skills with your team,” Ray says. You have someone start
with the color they put the color on. And then someone adds
more glass to it and they shape it.”
Giving Back
Waranch and Ray also have a shared passion for teaching,
where teamwork is just one aspect of glassblowing that they focus on. Co-founder of Art Reaching Out (ARO) through Bishop
Arts Foundation, a 501(c)3, Ray runs cooperative STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) programs/proj-