PAUL STANKARD

Paul Stankard is now internationally renowned for his mystical botanical paperweights and has committed himself to exploring alternative glass-working processes such as casting, fusing, and enameling. His glass-encased flora exhibit loving fidelity to nature, hinting at the macabre art historical tradition of memento mori (“remember you will die”) in a reverential, not fearful way. Thematically, Stankard closely relates to Walt Whitman (1819-1892)—his harmonious relationship with Earth, his celebration of the common person and the creative spirit, and what Stankard sees as his appreciation for “the wholesomeness of living things engaged in their sacred, cyclical journey.”