A number of original drawings and sketches of paperweight designs were found in Johne Parsley's studio shortly after his death. They were the initial basis, the conceptual genesis of his finished creations—the jewel-like weights that we enjoy today in widespread public and private collections. Many glass artists have expressed their feelings that the most rigorous and demanding element in the entire process of paperweight creation is the time spent beforehand. It is here that the artist does an interior search: for something creative and new, something challenging, and something worth presenting to the world. The drawings are the manifestations of the creative thought process.

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The drawings light the fire to the artist's heart and ignite the flame to his torch.

As such, we are pleased to present these for your enjoyment. 

 

To be a bit fanciful, there are those who would say that a drawn pencil line can sometimes be thought of as being akin to a spoken sentence. Look very carefully and maybe you can hear the artist musing... 

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Paul Berlanga with Joan Parsley

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 I would occasionally catch Dad drawing alone in the studio at night under a single light. Mom would be worried because it was late and she could not hear him in the studio. I would find him for her so she wouldn’t have to traverse the precarious steps downstairs.

 

Then he’d bring the drawings to Mom and smile—he had a very loving and forgivable smile. It was like handing her a bouquet of roses or a secret love letter to mentally say, “Look what I did…do you like them Annie? They are for you…I’m sorry I worried you.”

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