Dale Chihuly is a contemporary glass artist who revolutionized the Studio Glass movement with his glassblowing method. His use of color and unique sculpture have made him a pioneer in his field. He creates large-scale works of art and has installed glass gardens. Chihuly has an international background and works at his studio in Seattle. His sculptures can be seen worldwide in museums, gardens, and buildings.
Dale Chihuly, born 1941, is a contemporary glass artist whose imaginative work as a glassblower and sculptor has revolutionized the art form. His glassblowing method is primarily responsible for the evolution of the Studio Glass movement, which no longer involves the lone artist creating work alone in a studio, but is now more of a collaborative effort among a team of artists. His use of dramatic and vibrant color, line of glass, and unique assemblage of sculpture have made him a pioneer in his field.
Chihuly’s use of squares has allowed him to create large-scale, massive, and complex works of art that have been exhibited around the world. Chihuly is primarily responsible for changing people’s perception of blown glass as works of art limited to glassware, vases and lamps. At first glance, many of his sculptures look like fantastic balloon sculptures, with long, straight, curly pieces. He has installed his art of him in the ceilings, lit from above to echo an underwater scene. His use of glass-filled boats, large bubble-like floats, and glass water lilies shows how much water inspires him.
It is obvious that Chihuly is greatly influenced and inspired by the environment. His organic and abstract forms of flowers were inspired by his mother’s garden and his boating artworks show his love of the sea. He has installed entire glass gardens with extravagant and fairy-tale plants. Chihuly is known for his ability to adapt something inorganic like glass as if it were meant to be in an organic environment. His sculptures, from floats hung like coconuts in palm trees to modern chandeliers in centuries-old buildings, make any setting more magical.
After her mother’s encouragement to attend college, Chihuly studied interior design and architecture. After his first glass blowing in 1965, he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin’s hot glass program, which was the first such program in the United States. After earning his Master of Science degree from the school, he went on to create a glass program at the Rhode Island School of Design.
In 1971, Chihuly co-founded the Pilchuck School in Stanwood, Washington which has produced many respected glass artists. Chihuly has an international background: he was the first American to work at the famed Venini Fabrica on the island of Murano near Venice, Italy. Other countries where he has worked are Finland, Ireland, France and Mexico.
An extremely prolific artist, Chihuly works most often at his studio, The Boathouse, in Seattle, Washington. A car accident in 1976 left him blind in his left eye. His loss of depth perception means that he can no longer handle the molten glass, so a team of artists make drawings of him, which he paints and sketches on canvas and paper.
Chihuly’s sculptures can be seen throughout the United States and around the world. Some of his famous exhibitions include Chihuly Over Venice, Chihuly in the Park: A Garden of Glass at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, and Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem 2000 at the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem. His art can be seen not only in art museums, but in office buildings, botanical gardens, private homes and hotels.
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