Paul Stankard and Rick Ayotte Signed Hand Blown Glass Experimental Paperweight Sea Life with Turtle

Artist: Paul Stankard and Rick Ayotte
Title: Sea Life with Turtle
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Size: 2 1/4" x 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"
Year: 1978-1982
Inscription: Signed "Stankard/Ayotte"
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

This unique handblown glass paperweight was created as a cooperative effort between Paul Stankard and Rick Ayotte: two masters of the medium. Stankard is best known for his botanical paperweights, often featuring flowers, leaves, and insects. His works are extremely realistic and true to life. Upon first seeing Stankard's work, many viewer's believe the subject matter floating in the paperwork to be actual preserved botanicals and insects. Similarly, Ayotte is also famous for celebrating nature in his hand blown glass paperweights. His works feature a larger range of subject matter than Stankard's, including a wide array of animal life. Unlike Stankard's remarkable realism, Ayotte's work is famous for his hyper-realism that showcases the natural world in vividly saturated colors and a more artistically stylized finish.

The combined forces of these two powerhouse glass artists in "Sea Life with Turtle" features the best of both worlds. Stankard's imprint on the more muted, earth-toned color pallet and straightforward composition is immediately evident, while the playful turtle nicely represents Ayotte's subject matter expertise.

The work is signed by both artists and includes a gallery certificate of authenticity.

About Paul Stankard

Paul Stankard has revolutionized the paperweight and made a name for himself as one of the most talented glass artists in the world. He is crediting with elevating the paperweight from an office supply to the level of fine art, with his work now showcase in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Louvre in Paris.

Born in 1943, Stankard began his glass career working as a glassblower making scientific instruments. In 1969, he began experimenting with paperweights in a quest to use his technical proficiency in glass blowing for something more creative. The technique Paul Stankard used created botanicals inside the paperweights with such hyper-realism that many people thought the paperweights included actual flowers. Stankard creates each element of the paperweight individually, paying close attention to every detail from color to texture before assembling the final product. His work takes in the entire scope of nature, extending far beyond placing a pretty floral bloom in a paperweight: he often includes insects, roots, and complete natural systems. While the majority of popular glass artists in the world today create modern work, Stankard's classical and timeless designs created with stunning realism allow his work to stand out.

The spiritual element of botany plays an important role in Stankard's work. He emphasizes that beauty can be found in unexpected places. In addition to being a glass artist, Paul Stankard is also a prolific author who has written several poems, articles, and two books.