Focus on Form

When Dale Chihuly gives advice to young artists, he says, “Go with your gut and create something that nobody has ever seen before.” To do so in his own work, Chihuly uses the wonders of nature, everyday life, and even other art forms as source material for new ideas. He is an expert at finding inspiration in both natural and human-made objects. Then he experiments with shape and structure, developing imaginative forms ranging from traditional to entirely new.

Dale Chihuly values new ideas. He tells young artists to “go with your gut and create something that nobody has ever seen before.” He follows his own advice when he makes his work. Chihuly gets inspired by nature and other art forms. Then he experiments with shape and structure. Some of his designs are traditional. Others are completely new.

Chihuly has been interested in textiles since he first studied weaving in the early 1960s. A resident of the Pacific Northwest for much of his life, Chihuly has always admired the patterns in local Native American works such as baskets and blankets. The artist created a technique that allows him to experiment with designs inspired by these patterns in his own works, including his 2016 Clear Blanket Cylinder, above. Chihuly and his team arrange pieces of glass as thin as thread on a steel table. Then they carefully roll a bubble of molten glass across the design. The pattern and the bubble meld together so the designs are not just on the surface but part of the structure of the work. Although the vessel is a simple cylinder, the “drawing” adds depth to the work.

For much of his life, Chihuly has lived in the Pacific Northwest. He admires the patterns in local Native American baskets and blankets. The artist created a technique that allows him to experiment with similar designs.

To make his 2012 work Clear Basket Cylinder, above, Chihuly and his team start with pieces of glass as thin as thread. They arrange them in a pattern. Then they carefully roll a bubble of melted glass across the pattern. The pattern and the bubble meld together. This makes the pattern part of the work’s structure.

Because melted glass is a fluidlike substance, Chihuly sees a relationship between glass and the sea. “I love to go to the ocean and walk along the beach,” he says. “If you work with hot glass and its natural properties, it begins to look like something that came from the sea.”

In 1980, Chihuly created a series of works called Seaforms. In 2002, they were displayed during an exhibition about jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, above. These works appear to ripple as if they are underwater. They are thin and delicate organic forms that evoke the ethereal translucence of some underwater creatures—especially jellyfish. Notice the subtle stripe pattern on the surface of the large yellow sculpture at the top. It follows the contours of the scalloped edges, emphasizing the work’s three-dimensional form.

When making the works in the Seaforms series, “I just let nature take its course,” Chihuly explains. What do you think the artist means?

Melted glass flows like liquid. For this reason, Chihuly sees connections between glass and the sea. “I love to go to the ocean and walk along the beach,” he says.

In 1980, Chihuly created a series of works inspired by the ocean. In 2002, they were displayed during a jellyfish exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. These sculptures, shown above, are called Seaforms. They are thin and somewhat see-through. This makes them look like certain underwater creatures—especially jellyfish. The large yellow sculpture has a striped pattern. The stripes follows the work’s wavy edges. This emphasizes the sculpture’s shape.

Chihuly also finds inspiration in ikebana (i-kay-bah-nuh), Japanese flower designs in which long stems and leaves are often the central focus, rather than colorful blooms. An ikebana arrangement emphasizes shape, line, and form. Chihuly aims to create designs like this in his Ikebana series. The artist doesn’t just display his Ikebana glassworks in galleries and museums. He often places them in gardens and other outdoor, natural environments, juxtaposing the natural space and the human-made objects.

For his 1993 Aqua-Green Silvered Ikebana with Green Stem and Leaf, above, the artist begins by making a vessel. Then he adds an organic form, which resembles a closed flower, not yet in bloom. How does Chihuly explore balance in this work?

Chihuly also finds inspiration in the Japanese art of Ikebana (ee-ke-bah-nah). This is a way of arranging flowers so that the viewer focuses on stems and leaves instead of colorful blooms. An Ikebana arrangement emphasizes shape rather than color. Chihuly creates designs like this in his Ikebana series. One example is the 1993 work Aqua-Green Silvered Ikebana with Green Stem and Leaf, above. Chihuly makes a basic vessel. Then he adds an organic form. It looks like a flower with a long stem that hasn’t bloomed yet.

Chihuly doesn’t just display his Ikebana works in museums. He often shows them in gardens and other outdoor spaces. He invites viewers to examine his human-made objects next to nature.