Dale Chihuly has been revolutionizing the art and craft of glassblowing since the late 1960s, concocting dynamic, flamboyant, color-saturated forms that push the ubiquitous material far beyond utilitarian ends, including his signature, massing chandeliers. His works include individual pieces ranging from undulating, nested vessels to whimsical sea creatures and architectural installations. Chihuly bases his multidisciplinary approach on teamwork, with up to eighteen people working at a time, and draws influences from his boyhood memories of nature, including the sea and his mother’s garden. “My feeling is that it doesn’t make any difference if the work is called art or craft or design… If they go into the museum, which has everything from native masks to paintings, these objects become equals—one really isn’t more important than another,” he says.
Website
http://www.chihuly.com
