John Lotton Small Pink and Cobalt Leaf & Vine Vase (1993)

John Lotton's 1993 Small Pink and Cobalt Blue Leaf & Vine Vase is a subtle piece with fantastic color sense. It has carefully artificed layers of vibrant pigmentation. The opalescent leaves which attach to the Cobalt vines give a light and fanciful touch to the work, all swirling in a wild pink/fuchsia underlying base. This piece is unusual in that it represents a product of what many would argue is a work from the peak of John's glass blowing career.

John is the youngest son of Charles and Mary Lotton and his father inspired him to begin creating beautiful glass as a youth. He began making pendants at age 11, and made his first paperweight at the age of 12. In the mid-80's, according to the authors of Lotton Glass: The Legacy, John "... wanted to create unique works and free-form sculptures. His first favored style was Milk Glass Leaves with Aurene Vines. His works — displaying a masterful use of colors — were avidly sought by collectors."

Following an auto accident in 1994 that prevented John from fulfilling his vision of making larger glass creations, he focused upon smaller pieces. Lotton developed an incredible sense of color combinations, but stymied by physical limitations in creating larger pieces, he ultimately became a successful real estate developer. John told the authors of The Legacy book that he regrets selling any of the 1-inch by 1-inch miniatures that were made after his 1994 accident.

According to the "Legacy" book, p. 187, "... all of the pieces John made at the peak of his career were sold at the Lotton Gallery on Michigan Avenue in Chicago — including a half a dozen pieces made in a 6 to 8 month period about 2 to 2 1/2 years before he quit blowing. They featured 10 or 11 types of flowers or designs that each took four to six hours to create.

The piece is about 6 inches tall and 3 inches wide. It weighs about 1.5 lbs.