Going back to the beginning of the studio glass movement in the United States, Dale Chihuly would be a great place to start.

No stranger to the spotlight, Chihuly has surpassed and perfected what it means to be a successful artist. He has pioneered his way into a household name, one glass gather at a time.

Dale Chihuly is an American artist born 1941 in Tacoma, Washington. During his student years, he studied glass blowing under Harvey Littleton at the University of Wisconsin. After being awarded a scholarship, Chihuly traveled to Italy where he worked for the renowned, Venini Fabrica in Murano. He was the first American glass artist to have the opportunity to apprentice under the Italian glass maestros.  Being a teacher at heart, Chihuly returned to the States, and created the RISD glassblowing program, where he taught for more than a decade. While teaching a summer class in Tacoma, WA, Dale decided to implement a workshop called “artists teaching artists”. This program evolved into the Pilchuck Glass School.  At Pilchuck, some of the most influential artists have evolved and gone on to solidifying glass careers of their own.

Chihuly took traditional Venician glassblowing to another level. Being known for his technical innovations, we have witnessed countless vibrant and breathtaking installations in a wide range of patterns, light, and shapes. Chihuly’s most well know installations, represented at botanical gardens, hotels, and museums worldwide, can give the impression of full-scale trees or multistory glass curls. His “chandeliers” can reach up to 20ft of blown glass. Dale’s pieces are created by allowing gravity to have its way with the molten glass, and the outcome is timeless.

Written by Jacqueline Glass – Sales Associate, Habatat Galleries FL