Musings and Amusings

Posts tagged ‘glass art’

Chihuly’s Lily Pads

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This is my favorite of Chihuly’s art installments at the Denver Botanic Gardens. It is titled “Persian Tower 2012”.

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The flowing waterfall made the perfect acoustical background for the serenity of this opaque glass and steel structure, and I spent awhile on a nearby bench studying the intricate detail of the lily pads.

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As I strolled the gardens, I paid particular attention to nature’s lily pads which are equally serene and intricately detailed.

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This fuzzy, slimy alien-looking creature

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could be viewed in various growth stages, ultimately unfolding into

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All of which inspired

Lily Pad 3

Lily Pad 1

Lily Pad 2

Chihuly Spires at the Botanic Gardens

Last week, I attended “Sunrise” morning for the Chihuly Exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Ironically rain was predicted for the sunrise hours this one morning of the week, but fortunately the weather forecasters were wrong. Again.

“Sunrise” mornings are specifically for a limited number of photographers so they can take photos in the early light without the masses “photo-bombing” their efforts. That doesn’t mean amateurs can’t participate, and the tickets were very reasonable. I’m not an accomplished photographer by any stretch, and my camera is a point and shoot. Blogging has given me “some” incentive to add photography to the growing list of subjects I’d like to learn more about, and I might ask Santa for an upgraded camera (although I hardly know what features I need/want that will still be user-friendly enough that I’ll actually use it). I enjoyed watching my two friends, who are avid photographers, plan their shots and set up their equipment.

I don’t know how many tickets were offered for this event, but we were pleasantly surprised at how few people – with or without cameras – were wandering through the gardens from 7-9am. It was worth the ticket price just to have the gardens practically to ourselves.

Chihuly’s work ranges from multiple spire installations to magnificent large pieces. The first time I visited the exhibit, by the time I reached the narrow walkway where many of the spire displays are installed, there were too many people to get any decent photos of the spires. Here are seven installations to give you an idea of the variety that graces that peaceful walkway. None of Chihuly’s pieces move, but the longer I stood at each display, the more I sensed a waving, throbbing, serpentine movement – either because the grasses and plants around them were moving or because the drifting clouds overhead made the tips seem like they were swaying.

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Chihuly at Denver Botanic Gardens

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The spectacular Chihuly Garden Cycle show has come to Denver Botanic Gardens. Dale Chihuly, world-renowned glass artist, was born in Tacoma, WA in 1941. He studied in Venice, and has incorporated the team approach to glass-blowing in his prolific array of worldwide installations, both indoors and outdoors. In 1971, Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington.

Entrance view

Entrance view

I have been fortunate to view Chihuly’s exquisite art in galleries, museums and outdoor settings. I’m posting only a few of the many works installed at Denver Botanic Gardens, which will be on display through November 30, 2014. I plan to visit each month at different times of the day and evening to see how the viewer’s perspective changes through different lighting and seasons.

The next one is called “Summer Sun”, and all I could think of was Medusa’s hair.

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Next is a closeup photo of the most beautiful yucca blooms I’ve seen anywhere (for you, Marci).

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We’ve had rain at just the right times this spring, and the entire Gardens is a splendor of colorful blooms and vibrant green leaves of all shapes and sizes, including the usually-sparse xeriscape sections.

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You can learn more about this exhibit at http://www.chihulyindenver.com or about Chihuly at http://chihuly.com

I’ll close with two more pieces – actually three because the green plant in front of these gorgeous purple spikes is also a glass piece!

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Most surprising to me, these lovely works have survived the frequent, torrential hail and wind storms that have plagued us the last couple of months. At some point, of course, I will have to explore what makes this glass so weather-proof while remaining malleable enough to shape into these curving, flowing structures.

More to come after future visits!

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