CHIHULY Garden and Glass

The Chihuly garden and glass exhibit in Seattle Washington is a beautiful exhibit of blown glass art by artist Dale Chihuly. His work has an organic form that blends and flows with nature. Inspired by Northwestern Native American baskets and wool trade blankets, Chihuly incorporates the organic flow of drooping baskets and the colors of trade blankets into his blown glass pieces. For Chihuly, water has always been a source of inspiration. Chihuly once remarked, “One of the great attractions of being in the Northwest is the rain. I find the rain very creative. Water is the one thing that I can assure you is a major influence on my work and my life and everything I do. If I don’t feel good or I don’t feel creative, if I can get near the water something will start to happen.” The importance of water is represented by the Willits canoes. These sleek canoes were manufactured by The Willits Brothers on Day Island near Tacoma in the early twentieth century.

Chihuly's remarkable work seems to naturally blend in with nature, and a garden beyond the exhibit interior showcases his work among beautiful trees and plants. The scale of the sculptures is truly impressive, enhanced by the vibrant colors of glass that glow with the sunlight. Taking in the grandeur of the garden pieces the iconic Space needle towers above adding another element of art imagined over half a century ago. This is an exhibit worth traveling to Seattle just to see. I immensely enjoyed photographing Dale Chihuly's work and hope you enjoy looking at the photos.