Noyes Museum of Art

Oceanville, NJ

609-652-8848

http://www.noyesmuseum.org

Noyes Museum of Art Presents "Recreating Flowers: The Glass Wonders of Paul J. Stankard" and "'Capturing' the Jersey Shore: Works of Anthony J. Rudisill"

The exhibition series "Inspired By Nature," funded in part by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, will wrap up this summer of 2000 with "Recreating Flowers: The Glass Wonders of Paul J. Stankard (May 13 - September 3, 2000) and "'Capturing' the Jersey Shore: Works of Anthony J. Rudisill" (May 13 - September 10, 2000). Their common ground does not end at choosing aspects of the natural world as their subjects, both of these southern New Jersey artists also once fraternized with museum co-founder, and painter in his own right, Fred Noyes.

An internationally renowned glass artist who lives and works in Mantua, Paul Stankard invites viewers to examine his sculptures that replicate local botanical species, many of which are wildflowers found only in the Pinelands. "Recreating Flowers" will showcase more than 80 examples of his glass work, as well as a series of photographs documenting his process. Each piece recreates the intricacies of a flower's structure, often causing viewers to mistake the tiny sculptures for real flowers. Stankard evokes a sense of the cycle of life by incorporating elements of a flower that we often overlook. (left: glass sculpture by Paul Stankard)

Born in Massachusetts, the artist moved to southern New Jersey at the age of fifteen and in 1961 enrolled in Salem Vocational and Technical Institute, where he studied scientific glass technology. After graduation he worked at companies producing glass instrumentation for scientific and medical usage. By the 1960s, he began making clear-glass animals and paperweights, eventually leaving his job in industry to become a full-time artist. In the 1970s, he developed a new three-dimensional form, the botanicals, which, by the end of the 1980s, became the exclusive use of his rectangular block format.

Stankard's work is represented in more than twenty-four museums worldwide including the Smithsonian, the Louvre, and the Victoria and Albert, as well as innumerable private collections. Stankard has been the subject of a half-hour video documentary and the subject of the book Paul J. Stankard, Homage to Nature, by Ulysses Dietz (available in the NMA gift shop). In addition to remaining active in the international art scene, Stankard continues to teach at Rowan University.

Wildlife artist Anthony Rudisill, from West Atlantic City, has created lifelike sculptures of regional waterfowl, as well as paintings of local land and seascapes, for nearly 30 years. His attention to detail portrays wildlife as few people are able to see it at close range. (left: Anthony Rudisill, Lake Bay Sunset, 1999, acrylic on board, 26 x 40 inches, Collection of Rorer Asset Management, courtesy of Newman Galleries, Philadelphia)

Born in Philadelphia, the artist began drawing wildlife as a child, crediting Audubon as his inspiration and teacher. Rudisill moved to southern New Jersey as a teenager and eventually took up work as a commercial artist, painting wildlife scenes in his spare time. Some of his professional projects at the time included architectural renderings and postcards for some of Atlantic City's hotels, as well as the illustrations on boxes for model airplanes and cars. In the mid-1970s, he met carver John Scheeler, with whom Rudisill studied for four years, and ultimately embarked on a parallel career as a sculptor. (right, Anthony Rudisill, Double Fury, gouache, 24 x 36 inches)

He believes that the world of nature is the single most important factor in life; however, it also is the most disregarded, misunderstood, and taken for granted.

Rudisill has won numerous awards for his wildlife paintings and sculptures, including two "Best in World" titles at the annual competition for carving. His works are in private collections throughout the United States and his bird prints are sold worldwide. Rudisill has also exhibited at galleries and museums around the country, including the Smithsonian. In addition, several of his pieces are licensed for sale by the Franklin Mint. (right, Anthony Rudisill, Broad Thorofare, acrylic, 16 x 22 inches)

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This page was originally published in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information. rev. 2/28/11

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