The colored glass dances in the flame. It loops and curls as tweezers cajole the formless blob into shape, flattening its surface and teasing out its apex, until, as if the flame has magical properties, a small, delicately structured leaf emerges. More colored glass is added to the gas jet, layer upon layer of opaque, translucent and transparent browns, yellows, oranges and reds, and one by one petals, stamens and stems bloom into being. Paul Stankard leans back from the workbench at his home in Mantua, N.J., and his broad, open face creases into a smile. "You know what I do...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
