Every day, T.C. Robertson lives life at 2,000 degrees.

“It’s a fun way to play with fire,” he said.

Earlier this week Robertson was feeling the heat as he pulled molten glass from a kiln inside his Due Vetro Glass Studio on Goldie Road.

Due Vetro, which is rough Italian referencing the two Robertsons working in glass — T.C. and his wife Lin — is an active glass studio where Robertson focuses on production glass pieces of garden art flowers, frogs, fish and pigs. He also crafts custom light fixtures, vases and tumblers.

This weekend, Robertson and his wife, Lin, will be among the 200 artists and crafts people displaying their wares at the 44th Annual Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival.

The festival begins with an arts and wine reception Friday evening.

“Hundreds of people come through, it’s really quite the fun kick-off event,” said Coupeville Festival Association president Anne Hallam.

The art show will be on display in the Coupeville Recreation Hall through out the festival. All weekend there will also be a demonstration area where people can watch artists in action. Plenty of activities will keep the kids busy. Food vendors will keep art enthusiasts fueled up. Not to mention the stores and shops in the downtown corridor will have plenty to offer.

“There’s something for everyone,” Hallam said. “It’s truly a family event for all ages and interests.”

People are invited to not only view the art but talk to the artists and learn about the processes it takes to bring art to life.

T.C. Robertson has been working with molten glass since 1980. After receiving a degree in Ohio in ceramic engineering he moved on to study at schools such as the Pratt Fine Arts Center and the Pilchuck Glass School.

He is influenced by the hundreds of years of glass artistry that came before him while maintaining his sights on the future.

“Glass is always evolving,” Robertson said. “There’s always a challenge. It can take a lifetime to learn it all. You can make something 100 times and it’s always different.”

He studied with Italian glass maestros, attempting to absorb their lineage of knowledge and skill.

Robertson’s craft goes beyond his glassblowing skills. He designs and builds all of his equipment.

“It’s extremely tight and efficient,” he said. “We recycle heat and use propane.”

Lin, who is a descendant of famed Whidbey pioneer and builder Howard Lovejoy, received an arts degree from the University of Washington. She has always been an artist who focuses on painting and graphics and lends her skills to the glass projects at Due Vetro with delicate touches and intricate details.

The Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival is considered to be one of the oldest, continuously running street festivals in Washington. Proceeds from each festival are invested in the Coupeville community in the form of project grants and scholarships. To date the Coupeville Festival Association has donated over a half million dollars to community projects and students within the 98239 area of the Coupeville community.

“Literally hundreds of volunteers help make this festival happen,” Hallam said.

In its 44th year, Hallam said she’s proud of the growth the festival has seen over the years and the advances the association has made to give the festival longevity.

The association now has an improved festival Web site. The Festival Association office moved closer to the festival grounds.

“It’s nice being right there in the action,” Hallam said.

Configuration of the festival was changed to make vendors more visible and accessible. And feedback from festival attendees brought recycle containers to the grounds.

Sponsors such as Whidbey Telecom, Comcast and Millenium Digital Media have stepped forward to help offset promotional materials costs and sponsor children’s activities and musical entertainment.

All this work is an effort to keep the festival organized by the community, fun for the community and giving back to the community.

“I enjoy seeing all the happiness on people’s faces all weekend,” Hallam said. “It’s rewarding to see volunteers working so hard, knowing this is all helping the community.”