John Lotton Amber Leaf & Vine Vase (1990)

t's liquid, but not. John Lotton's 1990 Small Amber Vase with Silver Iridescent Leaf & Vine patterns is an unusually naturalistic piece for this artist. It has carefully artificed layers of pigmentation that resemble lake water in the sun, a sort of amber / yellowish / light green color surrounding iridescent pearlized and silvery tendrils and vines. The leaves have a "milk glass" quality in parts, that merge into silvery iridescence. This piece represents the product of what many argue is the peak of John's glass blowing career, the early 1990's.

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 7 inches tall and 4 inches wide. It weighs about 1.5 lbs.