- David Graeber

JUNE 2014
OK PCA Annual Meeting, April 5, 2014
By Marie Peiter
OK PCA members met on April 4th and 5th in Tulsa for our 25th Annual Meeting. Members and guests gathered in the
lobby of the Holiday Inn Express on Friday, April 4, and then at 6:00 pm went for dinner to Ti Amo Italian Ristorante
where they enjoyed a delicious meal and a good time visiting together. After dinner, the group reassembled at the hotel for drinks and snacks and more visiting.
Saturday morning members gathered at the Hardesty Library at 11:00 am and began browsing the lovely selection of
paperweights brought by our guest dealers Susie Jacobsen and Phil Edelman of Leo Kaplan Ltd. and artist Ken Rosenfeld of Milwaukie, Oregon. As we lunched on delicious sandwiches provided by the club and snacks brought by our
members, we enjoyed talking about paperweights,
looking at paperweights, and adding to our collection
from the tempting weights brought by Ken, Susie and
Phil.
At 1:00 pm, Vice President Betty Waters, filling in for
President Janet Cook, called the meeting to order and
welcomed members and guests to our 25th Anniversary Meeting. Treasurer Leigh Czaja gave the financial
report which showed an account balance of $2,573.52
prior to member dues collected and expenses of the
day’s meeting. She reported that the club has fifty-six
paid members. Minutes from the Fall meeting were
approved.
Show and Tell produced a variety of weights by Ken
Rosenfeld brought by many of our members, including weights with beautiful flowers, berries, vegetables, and a pair of pendant earrings.
Artist Ken Rosenfeld and OK-PCA
Secretary Sharon Gaither*
The paperweight-related items submitted for our Favorite Vote contest included a fascinating display of lovely vases,
inkwells, perfume bottles, candelabra, pen holders, a paperclip tray, and glass chocolates. After tabulating the votes,
there was a tie for 1st place in the Favorite Vote contest. Marilyn and Loren Groves, with a pair of modern St. Louis
candelabra, tied Ellen Zanetakis, with her very realistic Hulet boxed glass chocolates. Gene Peiter placed 3 rd with a
Scott Bayliss perfume bottle. Contest and door prize winners were able to select prizes, including two paperweights
generously donated by the Kaplans.
Five early members of OK-PCA were present at this meeting including: Leigh Czaja, Wilbarine Favre, Marilyn Groves,
Betty Waters, and Joe Jankowski. Wilbarine Favre sent
best wishes from her husband, John, also an early member, who was home recuperating from a recent hospital
stay. The Favres were recruited by charter member and
avid collector, Don Smith, and Wilbarine told about her
experiences at early meetings of the club; Wilbarine
served six two-year terms as president until she was 90
years old, always happy to share her love of paperweights with all. Charter member Joe Jankowski spoke
about the first meeting of the Oklahoma PCA. The first
president, Wally Maxey, started the club and recruited
the first members. At the first meeting, the club was organized with bylaws adopted, elections held, and dues
collected. Victor Trabbuco gave the artist’s presentation
by telephone. Joe said it was a tough beginning to a
good twenty-five years.
lampworked roses which are very delicate and realistic.
He shared the challenges and risks taken by a paperweight artist, and told us he has to be able to overcome
failures and disappointments; if he is able to make two
weights a day it is a great day’s work for him.
The meeting adjourned at 3:00 pm and later that evening, a small group of members continued to enjoy time
together as they met for dinner at the Celebrity Club.
Many thanks to Ken Rosenfeld, Susie Kaplan and Phil
Edelman for making our 25th Anniversary meeting a truly
special time.
OK PCA 2014 Commemorative Weights
Visiting artist Ken Rosenfeld brought with him two paperweights he designed to commemorate our club’s 25th
Anniversary. Members can choose either a petite rose
weight (below left) for $300 or a medium sized Indian
blanket weight (below) for $500. The rose is the state
flower and the Indian blanket is the state wildflower.
These weights will include an OK PCA date cane and be
signed by the artist. Weights will be shipped directly to
purchasing members for $10.00 and will be available for
order for several months. Members present at the April
5th meeting have already signed up to place an order.
Phil Edelman, National PCA president, talked to the
group about the National Convention in 2015. He was
cryptic about its location—it will be held in a unique location dedicated to glass artistry; the mystery will be revealed as soon as details are finalized.
Ken Rosenfeld, our guest artist, narrated a slide presentation that showed his lovely studio that sits just ten steps
from his back door in Milwaukie, Oregon. He explained
that he designed and built most of his own equipment to
the exact size and specifications that worked best for
him. He talked about his career in glass from his early
days of glassblowing to his present creations and showed
us many beautiful slides of his work, including his new
If you were unable to attend the meeting and would like
to order one of these truly special weights, please contact Ken at: Ken Rosenfeld Glass, 16248 S. E. My Way
Court, Milwaukie, OR 97267; Phone: (503)513-0484 or
(503) 803-9257; email: [email protected]
OK PCA 2014 Rose Paperweight*
OK PCA 2014 Indian Blanket Paperweight*
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ceived emails from 3 more paperweight collectors insisting that this paperweight is Clichy.”
A Clichy in Disguise
By Janet Cook
We will never know how it was that the seller came upon
this lovely paperweight with a Strathearn label on its
base and housed within a Starthearn box, nor if he was
ever convinced that the weight was indeed a French Clichy. One thing that we do know, however, is that he
could not have been unhappy with the final selling price,
as the paperweight ended with 26 bids and sold for
$1,423.95 US dollars — not at all bad for a “Strathearn
Impersonator,” wouldn’t you say?
A couple of years back I was perusing eBay when I came
across a lovely spaced millefiori proudly displayed in a silk
lined box. The seller was from the United Kingdom and
listed the piece as a Strathearn paperweight with the following title: “Fine Vintage Strathearn Millefiori Paper
Weight with its Original Case.” The description of the
weight that then followed was this: “A fine vintage
STRATHEARN millefiori glass paperweight, 2 & 3/4 inches
in diameter and weighing a hefty 565 gms. It has beautiful spaced complex canes set in a clear glass surround. It
is in fine condition without chips, cracks or repair. It has
its Strathearn label on the base and its superb silk lined
Strathearn presentation case in turquoise faux-leather. A
lovely vintage paperweight that deserves a place in any
collection of these fascinating artifacts. No Reserve.”
Even with my limited knowledge at the time, I instantly
recognized the canes to be that of Clichy, for aside from
the brilliant color palette of the canes which the glasshouse was known for, the weight also contained a couple
of Clichy roses—the trademark of the Clichy Factory.
Needless to say, there were a number of other collectors
and dealers who saw the weight and also knew it to be a
Clichy. When a few of them wrote the seller to inform
him he had made a mistake, on 31-Oct-11 at 15:28:42
GMT the seller added the following information to the
listing, making it clear that the seller wasn’t so easily convinced: “I have received 2 emails from different eBayers
(paperweight collectors) telling me that this paperweight
is 19th century Clichy not Strathearn. I cannot conceive of
anyone labelling and packaging an expensive Clichy paperweight as a Strathearn! If anyone with a detailed
knowledge of Strathearn paperweights can explain these
eBayers' opinions kindly let me know. It is a complete
mystery to me unless Strathearn were copying Clichy
canes!”
A Strathearn Imposter
Finding a Lost Treasure
By Wilbarine Favre
When we began collecting paperweights and the house
that we were living in did not have a security system, I
had to come up with other ways to “hide” our weights
when we went away on trips. This was especially true as
I began buying weights that were a bit more expensive
than $100 each. One of those weights was a Plum Blossom Branch by Randall Grubb — I loved it.
The weight was getting a lot of interest by now in both
the number of views and bids. Finally, close to the last
day of bidding it appears that the seller may have started
to come around, or at least admit that perhaps his weight
was not at all what it seemed to be all dressed up in that
pretty little box, for on 02-Nov-11 at 11:07:29 GMT, the
seller added the following information: “I have now re-
Once when we took a three week vacation I put some of
my better weights in their boxes and put them behind
some canned food in the pantry.
When we came home I took out the boxes of weights and
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put them on display again. I did not find the Grubb
weight and I was really upset! Could I have put it in the
trash with the wrappings from our trip? Did it end up
going to the Bartlesville dump?
our attention was a colorful array of glass rods that were
perfectly organized in PVC tubes housed within a lateral
file cabinet - thus creating a beautiful vignette of purposely ordered color, a work of art within itself. Stacked
and labeled petri dishes on a table also created a colorful
scene; each dish holds crushed colored glass (frit) that
David crushes himself with a mortar and pestle.
I called Randall to see if he had another weight like mine.
He did, but it was not a good one so he didn’t want it to
go out.
Another filing cabinet holds different sizes of “Schott”
glass slugs that resemble hockey pucks and form the
basic building blocks for many lampwork paperweights.
Schott Ophthalmic Paperweight Glass is especially desirable for its clarity, making it a top choice among lampwork
artists for encasing their designs.
About three months later I took out a can of sauerkraut
from the pantry and there was my precious weight (I did
tell Randall Grubb)!
As time went on I bought more weights, and even better
ones. We had a good wooden cabinet from our last black
and white TV. We had six drawers with glides added to
the cabinet and dividers installed for our weights. Here
were some secret places for our best paperweights!
The walls of the studio are alive with interesting glass–
related articles and memorabilia, all hung in an orderly
fashion. Of particular interest is a shadow box which displays scientific glass apparatus created in 1962 by friend
and mentor, Paul J. Stankard, when Paul was a student at
Salem County Vocational Technical Institute. A number
of the glassmaking tools that hang on the wall once belonged to Paul. In addition, there is an artist palette that
belonged to friend and mentor George Vail, under whom
David served as an apprentice for three years. George, a
mechanical engineer and self-made artist, introduced
David to woodworking, forensic sculpture and architectural renovation.
In 2000 we moved to a house with a security system.
Now I feel a bit more comfortable leaving my glass beauties—and it doesn’t take so long to get ready to go on a
trip!
David Graeber: Inside the Artist’s Studio
By Janet and William Cook
While recently in Philadelphia, William and I took a day
trip to Westmont, New Jersey to visit with artist David
Graeber. As we drove up to his home and studio on Emerald Avenue, it was just as we had envisioned - a lovely
home and yard immaculately cared for in a quiet 1920’s
neighborhood. The home has been in the family for
many decades and was the house where David’s father-in
-law, William Flower, grew up. Since David and wife Sandra have lived in the home with their three children, they
have made several renovations, the largest of which is
the addition of a second floor. David did much of the
work himself, along with help from family and friends.
Not surprisingly, when David and his son built his studio
out back, they kept the design of the original home in
mind. The workshop appears to be a miniature house
that has always been there.
David acquired much of the equipment that he uses in
his studio from South Jersey paperweight artists that
What is immediately noticeable upon entering the door
of the studio is the total absence of clutter. Everything
has a place and everything is in its place. Aside from
three artist benches (work stations), what really caught
David Graeber’s Studio
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have inspired his work. These include a clear Pyrex dome
from James Kontos which he uses to cover and protect
lampwork components before encasement, diamond
shears from Paul Stankard, a signed and dated hand torch
used by Jack Choko (best known for his lizards and Millville type roses), and a torch, plates and collars purchased
from the talented and versatile Bob Banford, who gave up
paperweight making in 2006 after suffering a back injury.
artist that creates magnificent jewel-like masterpieces in
glass, paperweights that will continue to delight and enchant us for years to come.
The walls also display a host of pictures of mentors and
dear friends of the paperweight world.
William Cook Making a Glass Bead
Celebrate the Paperweight 2014
In September collectors and artists from around the world
will gather in Chicago for the “Celebrate the Paperweight
2014” event. Festivities begin on Friday, September 26th
at the Chicago Art Institute, where participants will be
treated to a special presentation luncheon featuring the
curator of the Arthur Rubloff Collection.
David Graeber Demonstrating Bead Making
Rounding out our visit to the studio, David put us to work
with a lesson in bead making – the perfect way to get us
personally involved in using some of the interesting tools
we had discovered. First we each picked out several colored glass rods of our choosing, then David demonstrated
the process to us before we each gave it a try. Upon completion, the beads were cooled in a bowl of mica chips
before being strung on my necklace to wear home.
On Saturday an Artists’ Fair will be held from 10:00—4:00
with lectures given by some of the best paperweight
artists of our time. Saturday evening guests will dine in
the Chicago Cultural Center in an opulent setting that
boasts the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world.
After having spent a few days at the Wheaton Village Paperweight Fest, then time in Philly for our son’s graduation, visiting David Graeber in his home and studio was a
perfect end to our trip. As we headed to the airport, pulling out of David’s driveway onto his street, we couldn’t
help but marvel at the appropriateness of the name of his
street, Emerald Drive. For this man is not only one of the
nicest people you will ever meet, he is an exceptional
In addition, an optional bus trip on Sunday and Monday
will take participants to Neenah, Wisconsin to visit the
Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass.
To find out more about this special weekend, which is a
fundraiser for the Glass Paperweight Foundation, please
visit www.glasspaperweightfoundation.com or call Alexis
at L. H. Selman at (312) 419-0403.
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OK-PCA SPRING MEETING PICTURES
Wilbarine Favre and Joe Jankowski admiring one
of the many paperweights Wilbarine brought for
“Show and Tell.” The weight is a Paul Ysart bouquet in a basket ground.*
Marilyn Groves showing off her first place prize in
the “Favorite Weight Contest” - a Ken Rosenfeld
weight of green and red peppers which was generously donated by the Kaplans.*
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
June 27—29, 2014
September 26-28, 2014
October 25, 2014
PCA Texas
“Celebrate the Paperweight”
Oklahoma PCA
Waco, Texas
Chicago, Illinois
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Dealer: William Pitt
Dealer: L. H. Selman, Ltd.
Dealer: L. H. Selman, Ltd.
Artist: Clinton Smith
Multiple Artists and Programs
Artist: TBA
OK/PCA BOARD
President
Janet Cook
405-840-0808
Director
Wilbarine Favre
918-333-1186
Vice President
Betty Waters
580-723-4379
Director
Marie Peiter
903-759-7474
Secretary
Sharon Gaither
918-260-7778
Director
Ellen Zanetakis
918-748-8024
Treasurer
Leigh Czaja
918-665-3422
*Photographs taken by Ellen Zanetakis
Newsletter editors: Janet and William Cook - [email protected]
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