Glass Line Magazine: Q & A with Paul Stankard

The May issue of Glass Line magazine has an article by legendary flameworker Paul Stankard, where Paul had sought questions from other lampworkers and the article creates the feeling of a casual discussion with one of the glass greats. Below is a short excerpt from the article:

Sharing a Journey: Questions and Answers - by Paul Stankard –
Over the last two years, I’ve met a large number of borosilicate flameworkers making everything from jewelry to glass pipes who are yearning to do significant creative work and explore new boundaries. They have a strong commitment to the independent lifestyle as studio artists and many make their livings through their highly developed skills. They are not satisfied with staying in one creative place and have larger ambitions. I relate to their struggle to channel their technical abilities into something more significant by creating sculpture. What’s holding many of them back, however, is a lack of artistic maturity. Few of them went to art school, and they are often simply unaware of what is considered important work by the larger world of collectors, galleries, and museum curators.

What I’ve been promoting with these Glass Line articles is excellence, but the notion of “excellence” is defined by the community you belong to. You can be an excellent goblet-maker, an excellent paperweight-maker, an excellent beadmaker, and on and on. To be excellent in these tightly defined categories, you need to recognize what is masterwork and be familiar with the skilled artists and craftspeople advancing the tradition with whom you want to strive to compete. You then can take advantage of the respect you’ve achieved in these decorative-arts categories to catapult yourself into the greater glass community. By competing with the past and matching the category’s history, you’ll be at the front of your field.
Our resident torchwork artist, Robert Kincheloe is one of the artists that is featured in the article with Paul.

If you are a subscriber to the magazine, you can read the article online - click HERE.