Chihuly
I recently had the pleasure of touring the Atlanta
Botanical Gardens with a couple of girlfriends.
I had read in the paper that there would be a Chihuly glass exhibit in
the gardens so I called my friends up and said, “Let’s go!”
What a fabulous time we had that day! The weather was perfect, even though it had
been predicted earlier in the week to rain.
The sun was warm, the skies were blue and there was a gentle breeze to
cool us off.
If you are unfamiliar with Chihuly glass, I will tell you
a little about the artist, Dale Chihuly.
He was born in 1941 in Tacoma, WA.
He was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the
University of Washington. He continued
his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and ultimately taught a glass
class there for more than 10 years.
He received a Fulbright Fellowship in 1968 and went to
work at Venini Glass Factory in Venice, Italy.
His glass work is included in over 200 museums. His last exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical
Gardens was in 2004 and was very well received. To help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the gardens, he
agreed to exhibit his work again.
There
are about 19 installations throughout the gardens. Each exhibit is designed to be site specific
with a third of them created uniquely for the gardens. At night, the glass is bathed in light and is
truly spectacular!
I was there during the day and each piece was fantastic.
The green and yellow installation is in the orchid house
and I believe is his interpretation of the orchids in glass. Speaking of orchids, here are some of the
fabulous ones we saw that day.
The vibrant colors of the blown glass and gorgeous
flowers will be an inspiration for me with my handmade jewelry when I walk into my
studio!
