Art Talk: Chihuly on Paper

This year my monthly Art Talk theme is Artists. As much as I resisted doing another post about Dale Chihuly (I have already posted 11 Chihuly posts).

Then I realized with the Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden and my visits there twice a week for the past three months. I am engrossed in Chihuly and want to talk more about this fascinating artist.

Chihuly is best known for his glass sculpture, he doesn't get as much recognition for his paintings and charcoal drawings. Today I am going to talk about Chihuly on Paper.

According to the Chihuly website Chihuly.com

For Chihuly, drawing is every bit as natural as glassblowing. Chihuly works with acrylic paints, ink, pencil, charcoal, graphite-even fire- to express his ideas with energy and exuberance.

They range from light and ethereal to bold and colorful.

The texture of the paintings is incredible.

Some relate to Chihuly's glass sculptures, others are an experience all their own.

Venetians

Chihuly began the Venetian series as an experiment in 1988 wit the Italian maestro glassblower Lino Tagliopeirta.

Seeking to take traditional methods to another level, he used drawings to communicate his creative vision to Tagliopietra- handles changed to knots, prunts (glass knobs) to claws, colors and forms became more extremes, shifting from symmetrical to asymmetrical.

The resulting sculptures combine historical traditions in glassmaking and decorative arts with contemporary techniques and free-spirited spontaneity.

Rotolo

Rotolo (Italian for "coil" are some of the most technically challenging work Chihuly has created. Weighing as much as 140 pounds, each piece is simultaneously heavy, intricate, and delicate.

Chihuly began the series in 2013 as an exploration of the quality of light emanating from complex clear glass forms. Over time, he expanded the series to include rich hues of red, blue, green and purple.

Most of the drawings are quite spontaneous. I don't do much with preconceived ideas. In the course of a day of blowing glass, I might do 15 or 20 drawings. - Chihuly.

If find this fascinating and wonderful. I really do enjoy and appreciate the big glass sculptures and would encourage everyone to see them. I also really enjoy the small glass sculptures and the works on paper that you can see only in museums or inside galleries at the garden.

I hope you enjoyed this look at Chihuly's paintings and drawings. He really is quite an amazing artist. If you would like to learn more about Chihuly or see more of his glass sculptures check out the PeakD collection Chihuly Groupie.

Sources:

Chihuly.com

The works shown above are from:
The Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona
Cheekwood Estates, Nashville, Tennessee
Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

PeakD Collection
Chihuly Groupie
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