Chihuly

It was a beautiful day here today, with temperatures in the mid-70s, so my wife and I went to the Seattle Center and wandered around the Dale Chihuly Glass & Garden.  The artist Chihuly is a collector of "interesting things" that inspire some his work, including old radios, dolls, bottle openers, pocketknives, etc.  Here is the ceiling of his accordions in the adjoining Collectors Café, where we ate lunch.


And this was the table next to ours in the café.


He has a nice collection of Native American blankets...


And Native American baskets, which influenced some of these glass pieces.


These are some of the inside exhibits.


The transition glass house to the outside...


Where there is more of his beautiful work.

It was a beautiful day here today, with temperatures in the mid-70s, so my wife and I went to the Seattle Center and wandered around the Dale Chihuly Glass & Garden.  The artist Chihuly is a collector of "interesting things" that inspire some his work, including old radios, dolls, bottle openers, pocketknives, etc.  Here is the ceiling of his accordions in the adjoining Collectors Café, where we ate lunch.


And this was the table next to ours in the café.


He has a nice collection of Native American blankets...


And Native American baskets, which influenced some of these glass pieces.


These are some of the inside exhibits.


The transition glass house to the outside...


Where there is more of his beautiful work.

You should have dropped by! (I work on the Seattle Center campus...)

You should have dropped by! (I work on the Seattle Center campus...)

Ah, I didn't know that. Next time.

wonderful! I'm always amazed at what people can do with glass!!!

Absolutely beautiful, John. It's not difficult to see why your wife and you spent time there. Just something else to add to my 'must see' list when I finally make it to Seattle.

PBS did a show on him and his assistants/students in NH. What an amazing talent, and to watch them work is just amazing. It was like a dance of sorts, all choreographed, but it had better be when working with molten glass. I'm not a very artsy person, but to see it I was just mesmerized. I may not be very artsy myself but I enjoy seeing it in others; maybe because it's a talent that I don't have.

PBS did a show on him and his assistants/students in NH. What an amazing talent, and to watch them work is just amazing. It was like a dance of sorts, all choreographed, but it had better be when working with molten glass. I'm not a very artsy person, but to see it I was just mesmerized. I may not be very artsy myself but I enjoy seeing it in others; maybe because it's a talent that I don't have.

Brian, since when is cooking not an art?

True :-). And that's tied into scent.

I meant artsy art... brush and paint, glass blowing and such. The closest I come to art is seeing light in photography, but that's taking what's given and only recognizing it or making it better, not actually visualizing the object that molten glass could become, the paints on a palette could be, or that the Venus deMilo was in the marble all along and to bring it out with hammer and chisel. Or to produce music. I love music, I mean real music, not the stuff that's called music today but is really just repellent noise, but I can't play a note. To me that's art. Some music is so beautiful as to bring tears of emotion. That's art to me. Cooking's just not the same in my mind.

True :-). And that's tied into scent.

I meant artsy art... brush and paint, glass blowing and such. The closest I come to art is seeing light in photography, but that's taking what's given and only recognizing it or making it better, not actually visualizing the object that molten glass could become, the paints on a palette could be, or that the Venus deMilo was in the marble all along and to bring it out with hammer and chisel. Or to produce music. I love music, I mean real music, not the stuff that's called music today but is really just repellent noise, but I can't play a note. To me that's art. Some music is so beautiful as to bring tears of emotion. That's art to me. Cooking's just not the same in my mind.

Ah, but it should be.  Is taking a plain piece of tough meat and creating a tender delicious flavor sensation any different than finding the Venus de Milo buried deep in that marble?  Wasn't the possibility of that delicious meal always buried in that tough piece of meat just as real as the possibility of Ms. de Milo in that slab of rock?  Don't cut yourself short, my friend.

:-) OK, I'm sending up the white flag!