Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
We’re back in Tacoma again. I found some nice eye candy there and recent rains have had me burrowed in at home.
This is part of the “Seaform Pavillion” by Dale Chihuly on the Bridge of Glass in Tacoma. It is part of an amazing glass ceiling filled with pieces that would turn a typical ocean reef on its head.
On the same bridge is Chihuly’s Venetian Wall, a display of dozens of vases. Aren’t all the colors and forms amazing?
The website for the Tacoma Museum of Glass advertised an interesting exhibit of Dale Chihuly’s Venetians, developed from inspirations on a trip to Venice. I wanted to see the Chihuly “putti,” little cherubs or mythical creatures that adorned some of the work. I wasn’t disappointed, though they generally proved hard to photograph as they adorned vases.
This simple piece showcased the putti better than some. Others had the sweet little cherubs lounging amongst flowers or perched in streamers of glass.
The more Chihuly I see the more I love this work. Photography doesn’t typically do it justice. I decided to move in close to focus on some of the details of this fantastical workmanship. Remember that this medium has to be heated to an almost molten state to be worked into the shapes it presents.
In addition to the shapes, the colors can also be amazing. This exhibit will be at the museum until January 4, 2016.
The Hot Shop at Tacoma’s Museum of Glass is unique outside and in. It is a striking feature on the exterior of the museum, unique from any angle.
Inside the stack gives volume to the room – and, no doubt, channels the heat generated by the artists as they work glass.
The auditorium inside is comfortable and affords various vantage points for photographers and other curious onlookers.
The Hot Shop in Tacoma’s Museum of Glass is an opportunity for visitors to see art glass in the making. Molten glass is blown, shaped, fired, and refired as artisans create.
There was a crew of four that worked on various pieces of the creation we saw. They shaped pieces, moved it back and forth to the firing oven, seared it with torches, and fused pieces together. A moderator answered questions from the audience and explained the process.
The Halloween themed piece being created was chalked onto the floor of the work area.
This is the best shot I could get of the nearly completed piece. Once finished it was quickly wisked away to an oven where it was slowly cooled for a couple of days.
Some of the prettiest glass I saw at the Museum of Glass was for sale in the museum gift shop. Had my pockets been deeper the only hard part would have been choosing which of many gorgeous pieces would have come home with me.
This one was pretty spectacular.
This one was beautiful, too.
Though he has work exhibited worldwide, the exuberant glass of Dale Chihuly is synonymous with the Pacific Northwest. A Tacoma native, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma currently exhibits a large collection of his two dimensional work on paper.
The works are as wild and vivid as their execution in glass. Tomorrow I’ll show you some of his glass on display.
I’m bringing you back to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma for a few more days.
The exhibit where this vessel is displayed is called “Patra Passage” and is a mixture of art, community involvement, and meditation. The word “patra” in Sanskrit means “the vessel that never goes empty” and served as inspiration for this exhibit which includes 108 ceramic bowls created by artist Lynda Lowe. Like alms bowls carried by monks in many cultures, the bowls represent the acts of giving and receiving; for monks it is the meditation that whatever is received in the bowl is enough for the day.
Each of the 108 Petra bowls began a one year journey at the Museum of Glass in late September 2013 as they were given to individuals who kept them for up to four months and then in turn gave them to someone else.
The bowls moved through the hands of 496 people, given as gifts and then regifted until it was time for them to return to the museum. They now are available for purchase and the proceeds will be given to local and international charities. The exhibit closes May 10.