CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PAPERWEIGHT ARTISTS

While all our favorite paperweights were made in West Virginia - the Paperweight Collectors Club sent photos and info:

Artists of the glass paperweight revival in the United States can in general be separated into two groups, those who do lampwork (floral) motifs and those who specialize in millefiori designs. Lampworkers utilize a torch and special small hand tools to create petals, leaves, and berries from colored glass rods that are then tacked together to form individual flowers or bouquets. Millefiori, or “thousand flowers,” are geometric designs such as stars or cogs that are formed by pouring molten glass into dies. These large diameter (typically 2 inches – 4 inches) slugs of glass are removed from the die, drawn down to a much smaller diameter (typically1/4 inch), and cut into short lengths (again typically 1/4 inch). These elements, known as canes, can then be arranged in any pattern the artist desires. Whether the motif is lampwork or millefiori, the next step is to encase it in glass and form it into the traditional paperweight shape.

LAMPWORK ARTISTS

Melissa Ayotte works with her father Rick Ayotte who is also a well-known paperweight artist. Their studio, Ayotte Glass Studio, LLC, is in New Boston, New Hampshire. Melissa has been making glass paperweights for ten years. Illustrated is her work “Purity Bouquet” which is 3 1/2 inches in diameter. More of her work can be seen on http://www.ayotteglassart.com/ and on her blog http://melisssayotte.wordpress.com.

Ken Rosenfeld works out of his studio Ken Rosenfeld Glass in Milwaukie, Oregon. He has been a glass paperweight artist for over 20 years. His selected work, “Roses,” is 3 1/2 inches in diameter. His website is http://www.kenrosenfeld.com/.

Victor Trabucco has been a glassworker for 35 years. His studio, Trabucco Studio, is located in Clarence, New York, and his website is http://www.paperweight.tv/. His work, “Bouquet,” is 3 1/4 inches in diameter and clearly illustrates the wonderful realism he brings to all his pieces.

MILLEFIORI ARTISTS

Jim Brown’s studio, JDB Decorative Arts, is in Lebanon, Tennessee. His millefiori paperweights often copy the style of 19^th century weights made by Bacchus, an English glass factory. Illustrated is one of his close concentric designs titled “Blue Garden Carpet.” It is 3 3/16 inches in diameter. He first got involved with making paperweights 10 years ago.

Drew Ebelhare is another of today’s millefiori masters and has been creating paperweights for around 20 years. His studio, Ebelhare Art Glass, is in Canon City, Colorado. His illustrated paperweight is a “Tufted, Faceted Concentric” from his Old English series which pays homage to 19^th century English paperweight factories. It measures 3 1/4 inches in diameter.

ABOUT THE PAPERWEIGHT COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION, INC.

Founded in 1953, the Paperweight Collectors Association, Inc. (PCA, Inc.) is a non-profit organization of glass paperweight enthusiasts from throughout the world. Its membership includes collectors, artists, dealers, museums, and libraries.

Its purpose is to educate PCA, Inc. members and the general public about the history, origin, quality, genuineness, and artistic merit of glass paperweights and related objects, and also to promote research in the areas of paperweight making, identification, and historical, geographic, and cultural origins of paperweights.

Additional information, including the history of glass paperweights, lists of artists, dealers, and museums, a calendar of events, and examples of antique and contemporary paperweights can be found on the organization’s website www.paperweight.org.