Dale Chihuly: The Glass Magician

Dale Chihuly (center)

Dale Chihuly is a groundbreaking contemporary American glassblower. I remember seeing his sculptures when I was younger at Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle and being baffled by the complexity and gravity-defying nature of his art. I wondered how on earth the sculpture was still standing. If you haven’t seen a Chihuly glass installation, or at least a picture of one, you’re missing out. They look like an explosion of life. He utilizes color, light, form, and space to deliver immersive experiences. The sculptures are created for specific sites all over the world, ranging from public places and museums, to private homes and gardens. It is important to him that his art is accessible. “I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in some way that they’ve never experienced.” — Dale Chihuly

Use of color, light, form, and space

Chihuly has big ideas, and they stretch the limits of whichever medium he chooses to use (he is versatile in several artistic mediums, but glasswork is what he’s best known for). His glass sculptures require experimentation. It’s essential to his creative process, and Chihuly is unafraid of failure. In fact, his artistic career began with weaving! He incorporated glass shards into woven tapestries in 1963. This experimentation led him to blow his first glass bubble—by melting stained glass and using a metal pipe—two years later. He also speaks of drawing from different artists for inspiration. Italo Scanga (an Italian-born American sculptor and painter), Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Van Gogh, and Frank Lloyd Wright are several artists who inspire Chihuly. “Glass is the most magical of all materials. It transmits light in a special way.” — Chihuly

Glass factory production traditionally involved lots of symmetry and perfectly formed vessels. This is not Dale Chihuly’s art. His work represents a departure from the past. “He pioneered a new way of working, utilizing gravity and centrifugal force to let molten glass find its shape in its own organic way. Asymmetry and irregularity [are] defining principle[s] of his work.” This unique and revolutionary way of blowing glass and experimentation not only makes Chihuly a Big C creative—he has made a conceptual change in the realm of glass blowing by shifting the aesthetic from perfection to organic asymmetry—but it also highlights the dichotomy of imagination and reality he operates on. He imagines these insane sunbursts and structures to make out of glass but is constrained by gravity and force (realistic necessities) to create. As a result, he is able to create mind-*blowing* (pun intended) works of art. 

Sunset Chandelier, 2019
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens,
Columbus, Ohio

100,000 Pounds of Ice and Neon

Ethereal White Persian Pond (detail), 2018
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London

Teamwork and collaboration are also essential to Chihuly’s process. He lost an eye in a car accident a while ago, which altered his perception. Understandably, he no longer feels safe working with molten glass. So, he directs Team Chihuly! He recognizes the talents of others, partners with other artists, encourages teamwork, and welcomes others’ viewpoints. It is not possible to make what he makes alone. "This intense and intricate style of teamwork has enabled Chihuly to create sculptural glass on a grand scale." By bringing so many artists together, Seattle has become home to a world-renowned glass arts community. One third of the world's most recognizable artists who work in glass live in Washington State, and the Pacific Northwest is considered a top hub for glass art. 

Teamwork makes the dream work :)

As for advice for aspiring young artists? Chihuly stresses the importance of immersing yourself in an artistic world. “Surround yourself with artists and see as much art as possible. Go with your gut and create something that nobody has ever seen before.”