This past July 4th weekend, we decided to take a scenic road trip from San Francisco to Portland and Seattle. We had a full itinerary packed with plenty of restaurants and sites to explore (and, well, driving). As anyone can attest from that trip, the only thing that I wanted to do above all else was to visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Dale Chihuly specializes in glass fine art. In 2008, he had a major exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Having missed this temporary installment back then, I have been wanting to catch one of his exhibitions ever since. 5 years later… I finally did it! And, boy, it most certainly did not disappoint!
Chihuly definitely pioneered in making glass as a medium of modern fine art. Once I entered the museum, I was immediately taken aback by the incredible talent required to mold the glass into specific and intricate colors, shapes, and textures. He takes it one step further by creating a complete garden of glass sculptures.
Unlike other mediums, glass has a unique quality of catching light and casting shadows. It can constantly change day-to-day based on its surrounding environment.
Chihuly often displays his glass art amongst nature. His works worldwide have featured glasshouses that resemble that of a greenhouse. He has acknowledged that his mother’s love and dedication for her garden has shaped his appreciation and inspiration to incorporate nature into his works. For those of you have been to Las Vegas, this piece below probably reminds you of Chihuly’s ceiling installment at the Bellagio.
Another unique characteristic of enclosed glass as an art medium is its ability to float. In many of Chihuly’s exhibitions, his pieces were assembled with the aid of water and/or can be seen floating in water as part of his visionary landscape. Along with lighting changes, Chihuly’s glass pieces can interact in an ever changing manner with surrounding water.
With that said, these pictures do little justice to the actual majestic pieces that are displayed at this museum. We hope it’s enough to inspire you to check out Chihuly and his team’s works whenever you get the chance!