Dale Chihuly at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit the exhibit, Chihuly at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. "Dale Chihuly has been an innovative figure in the American glass movement, creating glass on an increasingly epic scale that has astonished and enthralled people all over the world."(VMFA Fall 2012 Magazine). I have seen artisans blowing glass and, as a child, I had a collection of small blown-glass animals. I have never before seen glass pieces as large as the ones I saw at VMFA. As I walked from room to room of the Chihuly exhibit, I heard other people exclaim in surprise. We all were delighted by the magical quality of the work. The piece, Mille Fiori, which means "a million flowers," was like a winter wonderland made of fanciful glass creations. Persian Ceiling reminded me of visits to aquariums where one can walk under fish tanks and watch sea life swimming overhead. With this exhibit, however, one sees fabulous colorful shapes as one looks up at a glass ceiling. I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos I took of this exhibit. They hardly capture the beauty of the glass, but I want to share them, and I encourage anyone who will be visiting the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia before February 13, 2013 to view this exhibit.

Neon Tumbleweed

"Talk about a form of light - neon is light itself.

But, of course, neon couldn't exist without glass."

Dale Chihuly

Neon Tumbleweed, 2012, Richmond, Virginia, Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941).

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Photo by Kathleen Sams Flippen.

Reeds and Logs, 2012, Richmond, Virginia, Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941).

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Photo by Kathleen Sams Flippen.
"In Finland we started making these long, cylindrical pieces, which looked like spears. This was an exciting new form. It was the first time we ever made anything like that. They can be taken anywhere - they can go outside. They are very strong pieces, and they are very dramatic." - Dale Chihuly