By Louise Irvine
Paul Stankard, the renowned American glass artist, has recently announced his retirement from benchwork after more than 60 years. Paul’s guiding principle in his daily life is inscribed on his studio wall: “Laborare est Orare” – “to work is to pray.” After beginning his career as a scientific glassmaker, Paul was inspired by nature to develop his artistic practice into botanical microcosms encapsulated in glass. His lifelong quest for beauty and his deep spirituality come together in his upcoming book, The Workbench and the Divine: A Life Crafting Beauty.“
“Beauty was not something to possess.
Paul Stankard
It was something to encounter with gratitude.”
The Soul of Color: Receiving Beauty with Gratitude
This excerpt by Paul Stankard comes from Chapter 7 of his upcoming book, which he explains is about learning how to see.
The chapter begins with a childhood memory of discovering pink lady slipper orchids growing in the woods near my home. After picking a handful and bringing them home, my mother gently explained that some things are too precious to possess and should be left undisturbed. Looking back, I realize that was one of my first lessons in reverence.
Years later, standing at the workbench, I found myself learning the same lesson again. Whether I was searching for a more natural green in glass, studying wildflowers in the Pine Barrens, or struggling to recreate the delicate markings on an orchid’s lip, I discovered that beauty rarely reveals itself all at once. It requires patience, attention, and humility.
One of the lessons I hope artists of all ages take from this chapter is that nature can be our greatest teacher. The colors, rhythms, forms, and patterns we admire in the natural world are not simply subjects to copy—they are invitations to observe more deeply and become more attentive makers.
The chapter also speaks about perseverance. Many of my most meaningful discoveries came only after repeated failures. The solution was rarely immediate. More often, it arrived after frustration, reflection, and a willingness to keep searching.
Over time, I came to understand that beauty is not something we manufacture. It is something we encounter. As artists, we do not create beauty out of nothing. We participate in it. We recognize it, respond to it, and try to honor it through our work.
As I write, I find myself returning again and again to this lesson. The workbench has taught me many things over the years, but perhaps none more important than gratitude – for the gift of seeing, for the privilege of making, and for the beauty woven throughout creation.
Now, in my eighty-third year, I find myself returning to the same sense of wonder I felt as a boy wandering through the woods. The more I learn, the more I realize that creativity begins with gratitude—with being thankful for what we have been given to see. If this chapter has a message, it is this: technical skill matters, but attention matters more. Patience matters. Humility matters. Wonder matters. The finest work often emerges not from trying to control beauty, but from being open enough to receive it.
The Art of the Flame
WMODA is proud to feature more than 80 of Paul Stankard’s brilliant botanical artworks in the Art of the Flame exhibition in the Hot Glass Gallery. Several were made specially for Arthur Wiener following his visit to Paul’s studio in 2019. Last year, filmmaker Daniel R. Collins won the Mid-Atlantic EMMY Award for his beautiful documentary, Flower and Flame, which tellsthe story of Paul’s artistic journey.
Read more about Paul Stankard’s work at WMODA
Flower & Flame
Celestial Spheres
Orchids Celebration
Talking Out Your Glass
Golden Orbs – Paul Stankard
Poetry in Glass – Paul Stankard
Intriguing Masks
Paul J. Stankard · Flower & Flame
Paul J. Stankard – The Art of the Flame
Paul J. Stankard – The Art of the Flame Exhibition
