Thursday, April 15, 2010

Chihuly

Most of you know that I am not big on going to museums, but one thing I HAD to see what the Chihuly exhibit at the de Young (San Francisco, June 14, 2008 to September 28, 2008). Dale Chihuly is one of the most renowned glass blowers in the world. Originally trained in interior design, in 1967 he made the switch over to working with glass. And in 1971 he opened the Pilchuck Glass school in Washington. In 1976, he got in a head-on car crash and was blinded in his left eye. He continued to blow glass until another accident (body boarding) in 1979. After that accident, he was no longer able to hold the glass blowing pipe and hired other to do the work. Chihuly draws his pieces and they are executed by others. A Tacoma, WA native, Chihuly finds much of his inspiration from the landscapes of the North West.
The exhibit at the de Young was not my first view at Chihuly's work. While visiting colleges in the North West, I saw a few of his pieces and also took a boat ride past his studio.
The de Young exhibit was absolutely stunning. I love his use of bright bold colors. The beauty of his pieces left me in awe.
Chihuly's pieces are no longer at the de Young, but can be seen at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, The Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip, the MGM Grand Casino in Macau and in 2011 at the Seattle Space Needle.

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