Thursday, December 29, 2011

Heart Of Glass

This week I've been rereading Prue Batten's A Thousand Glass Flowers (hubby and kids are on their annual sledding trip, I have time) and I love it more this time.  Her fantasy world is a beautiful, thrilling place to escape to for a few hours and I adore Lalita's refusal to be bowed.  When she settled on a title, though, the first thing that sprang to mind for me wasn't a milleflori paperweight.  It was this.

Persian Ceiling, Dale Chihuly's Boathouse Studio
Can you imagine walking under that on your way to work in the morning?  I don't think I'd actually get any work done because I'd be standing in the hall marvelling at it.  I mean, look at that thing! 

Glass artist Dale Chihuly is probably my favorite living artist.  He's lived and taught glass work in the Pacific Northwest since the early 70s but his pieces are exhibited all over the world.  In 2000 his team installed a 30 foot long chandelier in the Rotunda of the Victoria and Albert museum in London and I hope they all had a drink after because I'm sure they needed it.

Dude, don't drop it!

His website lists his current and upcoming exhibits and if you have a chance to catch one please do yourself a favor and immerse yourself in his world for a while.  Me?  I'm headed back to Veniche with Finnian.  Have a great day!

3 comments:

  1. My goodness... what an amazing sight! I agree... you'd never focus on the ground as you walked. makes a paperweight look like a complete miniature!

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  2. I agree with you on Dale Chihuly being a favorite living artist!! I saw a documentary on him installing similar chandeliers as pictured above (perhaps not in size) all over Venice! so imagine my fortune of seeing an exhibition of his in Miami at Vizcaya!! The Norton art museum has a similar ceiling but definitely not as magnificent as the one pictured above. And Prue's book is my holiday reading list since my bookclub finally finished think I need to send everyone off to find that quiet reading time ...

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  3. He is amazing, isn't he? There are several Flickr sets of different exhibitions, just search his name. And Franny you will LOVE Prue's book!

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