Dale Chihuly - Studio Editions

Dale ChihulyStudio Editions

Bill Lowe Gallery

Each year Dale Chihuly interprets one or more of his series into a stunning work

of glass art known as his Studio Editions. With the fi rst Studio Edition released in

1994, these vibrant sculptures have become much sought after treasures. Each

Studio Edition is hand blown by Chihuly's team of master craftsmen to his speci-

fi cations. Due to the process involved in hand-blowing, each individual piece

varies in color, size, and shape and can therefore be considered unique. Chi-

huly hand signs each Studio Edition (for those Studio Editions which feature mul-

tiple glass elements, his signature will always be found on the smallest piece).

In terms of the investment required, Studio Editions are substantial-

ly more accessible for collectors to acquire as compared to his stan-

dard work, for which only a single sculpture is created for each design.

The Studio Editions are not limited in number but are retired after several

years. Editions that are retired or sold-out typically become more valu-

able as evidenced by their performance on the secondary market.

Each Studio Edition comes with its own Plexiglas vitrine and black base

for display and is accompanied by a book about the glass series from

which it came. There are currently eight series and include Baskets, Cyl-

inders, Fiori, Ikebana, Macchia, Persians, Seaforms, and Venetians.

Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly is most frequently lauded for revolutionizing the Studio Glass

movement, by expanding its original premise of the solitary artist working in a

studio environment to encompass the notion of collaborative teams and a di-

vision of labor within the creative process. However, Chihuly’s contribution ex-

tends well beyond the boundaries of both this movement and even the fi eld

of glass: his achievements have infl uenced contemporary art in general. Chi-

huly’s practice of using teams has led to the development of complex, multipart

sculptures of dramatic beauty that place him in the leadership role of moving

blown glass out of the confi nes of the small, precious object and into the realm

of large-scale contemporary sculpture. In fact, Chihuly deserves credit for es-

tablishing the blown-glass form as an accepted vehicle for installation and en-

vironmental art, beginning in the late twentieth century and continuing today.

A prodigiously prolifi c artist whose work balances content with an investiga-

tion of the material's properties of translucency and transparency, Chihuly

began working with glass at a time when reverence for the medium and for

technique was paramount. A student of interior design and architecture in the

early 1960s, by 1965 he had become captivated by the process of glassblow-

ing. He enrolled in the University of Wisconsin's hot glass program, the fi rst of its

kind in the United States, established by Studio Glass movement founder Har-

vey K. Littleton. After receiving a degree in sculpture, Chihuly was admitted

to the ceramics program at the Rhode Island School of Design, only to estab-

lish its renowned glass program, turning out a generation of recognized artists.

Infl uenced by an environment that fostered the blurring of boundaries sep-

arating all the arts, as early as 1967 Chihuly was using neon, argon, and

blown-glass forms to create room-sized installations of organic, freestand-

ing, plantlike imagery. He brought this interdisciplinary approach to the arts

to the legendary Pilchuck School in Stanwood, Washington, which he co-

founded in 1971 and served as its fi rst artistic director until 1989. Under Chi-

huly's guidance, Pilchuck has become a gathering place for international

artists with diverse backgrounds. His studios, which include an old racing-

shell factory in Seattle called The Boathouse and now buildings in the Bal-

lard section of the city and in Tacoma, Washington, have become a mec-

ca for artists, collectors, and museum professionals involved in all media.

Stylistically during the past forty years, Chihuly's sculptures in glass have

explored color, line, and assemblage. Although his work ranges from the

single vessel to indoor/outdoor site-specifi c installations, he is best known

for his multipart blown compositions. These works fall into the catego-

ries of mini-environments designed for the tabletop and large, often se-

rialized forms displayed in groupings on pedestals or attached to special-

ly engineered structures that dominate large exterior or interior spaces.

Chihuly and his teams have created a wide vocabulary of blown forms, re-

visiting and refi ning earlier shapes while at the same time creating exciting

new elements, such as his recent Fiori, all of which demonstrate mastery and

understanding of glassblowing techniques. Earlier forms, such as the Baskets,

Seaforms, Ikebana, Venetians, and Chandeliers from the late 1970s through

the 1990s, continue to reappear with fresh variations and within new contexts.

since the early 1980s, all of Chihuly’s work has been marked by intense, vibrant

color and by subtle linear decoration. At fi rst he achieved patterns by fusing into

the surface of his vessels “drawings” composed of prearranged glass threads; he

then had his forms blown in optic molds, which created ribbed motifs. He also ex-

plored in the Macchia series bold, colorful lip wraps that contrasted sharply with

the brilliant colors of his vessels. Finally, beginning with the Venetians of the early

1990s, elongated, linear blown forms, a product of the glassblowing process, have

become part of his vocabulary, resulting in highly baroque, writhing elements.

Chihuly’s work is strongly autobiographical. His fascination with abstracted fl ow-

er forms, reminiscent for him of his mother's garden in Tacoma, has been dis-

cussed in depth in the literature. Likewise, series such as his Seaforms, Niijima

Floats, and even the Chandeliers allude to his childhood in Tacoma, marked by

his love of the sea and his recognition of its importance to the economy of the

Pacifi c Northwest. Even in the few instances in which the artist has chosen to

respond to earlier historical decorative arts forms, the imagery has personal sig-

nifi cance. The Basket series, for instance, developed out of the woven Northwest

Coast Indian baskets that Chihuly saw in 1977 with his friend the sculptor Italo

Scanga and with the sculptor James Carpenter at the Tacoma Historical Society.

Over the years the artist has created a number of memorable installation

exhibitions, including Chihuly Over Venice (1995–96), Chihuly in the Light

of Jerusalem 2000 at the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusa-

lem (2000), Chihuly in the Park: A Garden of Glass at Chicago's Garfi eld

Park Conservatory (2001–2), the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma (2002),

and Mille Fiori at the Tacoma Art Museum (2003). These installations con-

fi rm the artist’s sensitivity to architectural context and his interest in the in-

terplay of natural light on the glass that exploits its translucency and trans-

parency. Recent situations have heightened this effect, since the buildings

Chihuly has selected as sites for the works have themselves been of glass.

While elements of the earlier installations allude to natural phenomena

such as icicles and vegetation, gardens provide the dominant theme in

Chihuly’s most recent ones. Sites that include Chicago’s Garfi eld Park Con-

servatory and the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, as well

as future projects at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Kew Gardens,

London, enable the artist to juxtapose monumental, organically shaped

sculptural forms with beautiful landscaping, establishing a direct and im-

mediate interaction between nature and art. Moreover, Chihuly’s most

recent installations at the Tacoma Art Museum and at Marlborough Gal-

lery, New York, reveal the artist’s progression toward a logical next direc-

tion: installations that are gardens themselves. In a sense, Chihuly has come

full circle; now using his mature vocabulary, he captures in these installa-

tions the joie de vivre of the plantlike forms of his early neon environments.

A dominant presence in the art world, Dale Chihuly and his work have long

provoked considerable controversy as part of the art/craft debate. How-

ever, with exhibitions at such major museum venues as the Victoria and Al-

bert in London (2001) and San Francisco’s de Young (2008), there can be lit-

tle doubt that his lasting contribution to art of our times is an established fact.

Dale Chihuly’s triumphant Black series debuted in 2007 and features

a dominant use of black intensifi ed with striking colors. “I started the

Black series with making the Black Cylinders. I wasn’t necessarily go-

ing to do anything else in black, but I went ahead and did the Soft

Cylinders in black, the Baskets in black, the Macchia in black, and

about that time I kind of felt it was a series unto itself,” explains Chihuly.

Bill Lowe Gallery is thrilled to introduce the fi rst Studio Edition from the

Black series, Majestic Macchia. The rhythmic form fl uctuates in one fl u-

id movement with contrasting colors meeting in this inaugural 2009 Stu-

dio Edition. The black exterior is accented with a mixture of blue tones

including a line of soft turquoise melted into sections of gold leaf. The in-

terior radiates lustrous blue, and a bright green color highlights the lip.

Accompanying each piece is the largest formatted publication on the artist’s

work to date, Chihuly Black, which features 138 beautiful color photographs

and a debossed leather-bound cover. Majestic Macchia, measuring ten

inches in height, is signed by Chihuly and includes a Plexiglas vitrine for display.

Rich traditions of Venetian glassblowing contribute to the inspiration found

in Dale Chihuly’s Persian series. The artist Walter Darby Bannard explains

further: “There is a popular misconception that great modernist art always

makes a radical break with the past. In fact, very good new art often breaks

with the present by going back to the past. “

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Majestic MacchiaHandblown Glass, 2009

$ 6,600

Rich traditions of Venetian glassblowing contribute to the inspiration

found in Dale Chihuly’s Persian series. The artist Walter Darby Bannard

explains further: “There is a popular misconception that great modern-

ist art always makes a radical break with the past. In fact, very good

new art often breaks with the present by going back to the past. “

Misty Persian Pair, a 2009 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition, is the quintessential

Persian form, with undulating edges and captivating color. Concentric bands

of turquoise cover the surface, complemented by a darker blue line that

adds depth and detail. A fl attened spherical shape that seems to be a play-

ful, living entity rests inside. The pair is accented with a citron yellow lip wrap.

Accompanying Misty Persian Pair are the 104-page hardcover book

Chihuly Persians and a Plexiglas vitrine for display. The piece is signed

by Dale Chihuly and measures approximately eleven inches across.

Misty Persian Pair embodies the ethereal style and vivid colors found in

Chihuly’s Persians.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Misty Persian PairHandblown Glass, 2009

$ 5,600

Dale Chihuly’s Seaform series consists of ribbed forms displayed in grace-

ful ensembles that appear complex yet naturally elegant. “We are us-

ing gravity, centrifugal force, the heat, the fi re, all of these different el-

ements, and in many ways we are not totally in control. It’s letting the

glass also make the form,“ explains Chihuly regarding the principles

of his glass-blowing process, as found especially in his Seaform series.

Ginger Plum Seaform is composed of two elements, one precari-

ously embracing the other to set off a constellation of white, green,

blue, and red colored spots scattered across their purple exte-

riors. Each piece features a double body wrap with an amber-

colored interior and is accented with a delicate teal lip wrap.

This 2009 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition measures approximately elev-

en inches across, with Chihuly’s signature engraved on the smaller

piece. Each Ginger Plum Seaform comes with a Plexiglas vitrine and a

copy of Chihuly Seaforms, which includes forty- four full-color photo-

graphs and an extensive essay by art critic Joan Seeman Robinson.

Ginger Plum Seaform combines contemporary colors with classic form.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Ginger Plum SeaformHandblown Glass, 2009

$ 5,100

One of his most celebrated series, Dale Chihuly’s Persians eloquent-

ly capture his love of compelling colors and energetic forms. In

an essay found in Chihuly Persians, art historian Tina Oldknow de-

scribes Chihuly’s diverse color palette as “subtle, intense, sim-

ple, complicated, dark, light: Chihuly’s colors are his signature. “

This 2009 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition, Aspen Green Persian, incorpo-

rates the opulent colors and exquisite lines of Chihuly’s Persian series.

This piece is highlighted by a radiant citron green, with delightful shades

of green, yellow, and red spots sprinkled on the back like lingering con-

fetti from a late-night celebration. A contrasting red lip wrap delin-

eates a softly rippled and folded edge, and thin lines radiate outward

around the body, beginning at the ball foot, on which the Persian rests.

Handblown, and signed by Chihuly, Aspen Green Persian measures approxi-

mately nine inches across. Accompanying each Studio Edition are a Plexiglas

vitrine and Chihuly Persians, a publication featuring an in-depth essay by Tina

Oldknow, current curator of modern glass at the Corning Museum of Glass.

Aspen Green Persian is a festive blend of exotic form and intense color.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Aspen Green PersianHandblown Glass, 2009

$ 4,100

Dale Chihuly's Macchia series is renowned for its innovative use of col-

or and extravagant design. Macchia, from the Italian word for "spot-

ted," have brilliant and wildly contrasting color palettes, inside and

out, that are separated by a layer of white glass "clouds" to maintain

the vibrancy of the colors. Chihuly recalls, "When we unloaded the ov-

ens in the morning, there was a rush of seeing something I had nev-

er seen before. Like much of my work, the series inspired itself. The un-

believable combinations of color that became the driving force."

The 2008 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition, Dakota Macchia, bursts

in a kaleidoscope of color. The rich blue exterior is accentuat-

ed with luminous spots of green and yellow and fi ne lines of red-

dish orange. The striking magenta interior provides an alluring con-

trast, and the entire form is edged with a warm yellow lip wrap.

Dakota Macchia comes with a specially designed vitrine and a copy of

Chihuly alla Macchia, a volume that features images from the George

R. Stroemple Collection and an essay by art historian Robert Hobbs. This

handblown piece, signed by Chihuly, is approximately ten inches high.

Dakota Macchia exhibits the quintessential Macchia design and will be a

distinguished addition to any collection.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Dakota MacchiaHandblown Glass, 2008

$ 7,100

In the late 1970s, Dale Chihuly was inspired to begin his Basket se-

ries after seeing Northwest Coast Indian baskets at the Washington

State Historical Society. During a period of experimentation, he dis-

covered that using as few tools as possible and letting the glass fi nd its

own form allowed him to achieve the effects now exemplifi ed by this

elegant series. Michael Monroe, executive director and chief cura-

tor of the Bellevue Art Museum, explains that "this tension, pressure or

force is refl ected in his glass Baskets, which appear malleable and very

light. They seem to be moving under a stress more sensed than seen."

Rich design and fi ne technique are evident in the organic clas-

sic Chihuly form of this Vienna Green Basket Set. This extraordinary

two-part 2008 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition consists of a green

Basket in an intriguing collapsed form. A smaller green form rests in-

side the larger piece, and both have contrasting black lip wraps.

Vienna Green Basket Set measures approximately eleven inches wide by

four inches high. Chihuly's signature appears on the smaller piece. Also

included is a custom-designed Plexiglas vitrine and a copy of Chihuly:

Baskets, the 148-page publication detailing the history of the Basket series.

Vienna Green Basket Set is a striking and seductive work of art that will lure

any fi ne art connoisseur.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Vienna Green Basket SetHandblown Glass, 2008

$ 5,600

The Persian series presents dynamic variations on open and closed

forms executed in intense color. Persians also evoke the rhythms of or-

ganic shapes. "Their energy expands and explodes the fundamental

spherical or cylindrical shapes of blown glass into eccentric and unfore-

seen new forms," notes acclaimed art historian and critic Barbara Rose.

This two-part 2008 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition entitled Phoenix Persian

Pair demands attention. The large open element presents a rich yellow

band of color wrapping, which is then edged with a red lip. Inside, a red

and orange fantastical lily form provides a dramatic contrast. Together they

are a lyrical representation of one of Dale Chihuly's most original series.

The handblown Phoenix Persian Pair is signed by Chihuly and measures ap-

proximately thirteen inches across. The set is accompanied by a custom-de-

signed Plexiglas display vitrine with a black base and by a hardcover book,

Chihuly Persians, which features an essay by art historian Tina Oldknow.

Phoenix Persian Pair, a superb example of the lush Persian series with its

opulent colors and exotic forms, will attract both new and existing admirers

of Chihuly's work.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Phoenix Persian PairHandblown Glass, 2008

$ 6,100

"I started by making up a color chart with one color for the interior, another

color for the exterior, and a contrasting lip wrap, along with various jimmies

and dusts of pigment between the gathers of glass," says Dale Chihuly.

His Macchia series exhibits chromatic variations with rich hues and spots

of color joined to fl owing, ribbed forms. Throughout the blowing process,

colors are added, layer upon layer. Each piece is another experiment.

Firefl y Macchia, a 2008 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition, features an el-

egant form with harmonious fusions of color. The exterior layers of col-

or include a rich red that merges into deep orange, with small black

macchia that add depth and detail. Turquoise clouds fl oat within the in-

terior, and a glowing yellow lip wrap outlines the rim of this striking piece.

Accompanying Firefl y Macchia are a specially designed display vit-

rine and a copy of Chihuly alla Macchia, a beautifully illustrated

volume that details the Macchia series. This fi ne, handblown work

of art, signed by Chihuly, measures approximately six inches high.

Each piece in the edition will vary slightly in size, shape, and color.

Firefl y Macchia will bring style and fl air to any collection.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Firefly MacchiaHandblown Glass, 2008

$ 4,600

Inspired by Northwest Native American baskets collapsing under their

own weight, Dale Chihuly set out to express the aging and worn ves-

sels in glass. "Like an Indian youth at the climax of his spirit quest, he

felt some inexplicable connection with the baskets and through them

with something universal," says Northwest historian Murray Morgan.

The 2007 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition Honeysuckle Yellow Basket Set em-

bodies the classic idea of his Basket series with soft waves rippling along a re-

laxed, slumping body. The large yellow Basket, delicately blown through and

nearly transparent, reveals two smaller elements nestled inside, creating an

airy, ethereal effect. Each piece is accented with a contrasting black lip wrap.

The smallest piece of the handblown Honeysuckle Yellow Basket Set is

signed by Chihuly and the entire work measures approximately eight inch-

es high. Also included is a custom-designed Plexiglas display vitrine and

Chihuly: Baskets, the 148-page publication detailing the pictoral history of

the Basket series with essays by former museum curator Linda Norden and

Murray Morgan.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Honeysuckle Yellow Basket SetHandblown Glass, 2007

$ 7,600

With their exotic, fl uid shapes, Dale Chihuly's Persians swirl with kinetic en-

ergy, mimicking ancient vessels or blending into a natural landscape al-

most seamlessly. "I love to juxtapose the man-made and the natural to

make people wonder and ask, Are they man-made or did they come

from nature? That's a very important part of my work," says Chihuly.

Celtic Emerald Persian Pair blazes with bright and vibrant color. Mea-

suring approximately eleven inches across, the larger piece is blown

through, bright green in the center to a dark, shadowy green along

the edge, accented by a golden yellow lip wrap. Echoing these same

colors, a smaller, coiling element rests inside looking as if it were a live

garden creature reaching out to the viewer. Winding around both

elements, dark and light green body wraps create a virtual glow.

The larger element of this handblown 2007 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition

is signed by Chihuly. A Plexiglas vitrine and Chihuly Persians, a hardcover

book featuring sixty color photos of the Persian series with an essay by mu-

seum curator Tina Oldknow, are included.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Celtic Emerald Persian PairHandblown Glass, 2007

$ 6,600

Undulating and exquisite, Dale Chihuly's Seaforms are implicitly pliant and

mobile, even in their solid forms. "They open up and curl in a kind of volup-

tuous solicitation, restorative and generous, in a sensuous repose," says art

critic Joan Seeman Robinson. These rippling forms are made by blowing

the hot glass into ribbed molds, producing radial lines that add strength

and allow the molten glass to be thinner, creating an illusion of motion.

The 2007 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition Royal Raspberry Seaform Pair con-

sists of two elements, both characteristically weightless, but with an un-

usual body wrap that adds visible depth and tangible texture, fl attened

and pale pink inside the curves, though otherwise vivid and dimension-

al. Between ripples of magenta, a vibrant lime green is revealed from

the insides of both pieces, catching the eye, intriguing the connoisseur.

Engraved with Chihuly's signature on the smaller piece, this Studio Edition

is handblown and measures approximately eleven inches across. The art-

work arrives with a Plexiglas vitrine for display and Chihuly Seaforms, a

hardcover book containing forty-four color photographs and essays by

Joan Seeman Robinson and oceanographer Sylvia Earle.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Royal Raspberry Seaform PairHandblown Glass, 2007

$ 6,100

Dale Chihuly's Persians echo distant and exciting cultures, history stretching

back to ancient times, and a fascination with spontaneous form and bold color.

Of this series, museum curator Tina Oldknow says, "Chihuly's early Persians hint

at glass's distant past: the small, dense, and rare core-formed vessels that fi rst

appeared in Egypt about 1,500 BC and in Mesopotamia (Iraq) around 1,300 BC."

Dragonfl y Persian is at once both archetypal and daring, both modern and

ancient. A single orange piece fl aring open from a ball foot is rimmed with a

royal blue lip wrap. Dark blue and black fl ecks together with a warm brown

body wrap and an iridescent shimmer highlight the back of the piece.

Handblown and measuring approximately nine inches across, the 2007 Bill

Lowe Gallery Studio Edition Dragonfl y Persian is signed by Chihuly. A Plexi-

glas display vitrine is included, as is the hardcover book Chihuly Persians.

With sixty color photographs and an essay by curator of modern glass at

the Corning Museum Tina Oldknow, the book provides an overview and

history of the Persian series.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Dragonfly PersianHandblown Glass, 2007

$ 5,100

"I see the riotous color, contrasting textures, and exotic, Eastern cast

of Venice as the spiritual source of the Persians, celebrating the mys-

tery and romance of Venice as much as the distant, yet powerful,

presence of Persia and Byzantium," says museum curator Tina Old-

know of Dale Chihuly's Persian series. Bold, they resist conventional

classifi cations of shape but still whisper of exotic and ancient vessels.

Lapis Persian Pair takes hold of all that characterizes this series: viv-

id, contrasting colors; tantalizing, angular shapes; and molded ribs

that create dramatically scalloped edges. In this 2006 Bill Lowe Gal-

lery Studio Edition, an orange and red element rests inside a bright

blue spinner with a vivid red lip wrap. Strong shots of electric blue from

the larger piece radiate through the transparent bands of the smaller.

This Studio Edition is handblown and measures approximately elev-

en inches across. The orange and red element is signed by Chi-

huly. Also included is a display vitrine and the book Chihuly Per-

sians. In this charming hardcover, fi fty-eight photographs and an

essay by Tina Oldknow provide an intriguing study of this beautiful series.

Lapis Persian Pair celebrates the classic origins of the Persian series with

exuberant color.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Lapis Persian PairHandblown Glass, 2006

$ 6,600

A fearless series devoted to unconventional and intrepid color combinations,

the Macchia bring Dale Chihuly's continually evolving palette of color to

new heights. In the words of former curator Henry Geldzahler, "You see color

as you've never seen it before, as if color itself were fl oating in the air. It is an

elevating experience. It makes you walk a bit lighter for the rest of the day."

In the 2006 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition Pacifi c Sunrise Macchia, a

strong sense of movement rises out of intense combinations of primary col-

ors. A bright yellow lip wrap outlines clouds of aquatic blue and deep red

that fl oat under a slender amber coil. This richly colored strata fades to a

transparent base in pleasing counterpoint to the saturated hues above.

Handblown and measuring approximately nine inches high, Pacifi c Sunrise

Macchia is signed by Chihuly. A display vitrine and Chihuly alla Macchia, a

book detailing the evolution of this series with 104 photographs and an intro-

duction by art historian Robert Hobbs, are included with this Studio Edition.

Pacifi c Sunrise Macchia uses refreshing color combinations to write a bril-

liant new chapter in the Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition collection.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Pacific Sunrise MacchiaHandblown Glass, 2006

$ 7,600

Combining shapes born from gravity and strengthened by gentle

waves, Dale Chihuly's Macchia occupy a place between fragile and

fortifi ed. "Chihuly's glass is purely about the creation of form, given

the reality that glass is liquid when hot and that gravity is a fact of life;

when liquid, glass wants to fall, to droop, to sag," remarks former cura-

tor Henry Geldzahler. These natural properties of hot glass can be har-

nessed to create shapes that appear organic and fl uid even when cool.

A Bill Lowe Gallery 2006 Studio Edition, Desert Yellow Macchia exhib-

its supple curves along a softly bowed form, creating an illusion of con-

tinuing collapse. Two shades of green "jimmies," small pieces of colored

glass rolled onto the golden yellow surface of the form, stand out against

a bright red body wrap and accentuate a forest green lip. The work is

signed by Chihuly and measures approximately eight inches across.

This handblown Studio Edition arrives with a custom-designed display vit-

rine and Chihuly alla Macchia, a book detailing the evolution of this series

with 104 photographs and an introduction by art historian Robert Hobbs.

Alive with the memory of its molten state, Desert Yellow Macchia is an in-

spiring addition to any fi ne art collection.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Desert Yellow MacchiaHandblown Glass, 2006

$ 5,100

"Because their shapes are so amorphous and irregular, their walls so convolut-

ed and their contours so elaborate, they refute classical balance, achieving

a kind of delicate equipoise," writer Joan Seeman Robinson says of Dale Chi-

huly's Seaforms. In this series, Chihuly's well-known natural shapes and allur-

ing colors combine to create forms caught in a perfectly weightless moment.

The 2006 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition Roman Red Seaform Pair sits

nimbly poised in an astonishing confi guration of soft waves. Two warm

red elements balance each other, both traced with velvety black body

spirals and lip wraps. Yellow and black speckles melt into the exterior

of both pieces, creating depth and texture against the rich red fi eld.

The smaller element of the handblown Roman Red Seaform Pair is signed by

Chihuly; the entire work measures approximately eleven inches across. Also

included is a custom-designed display vitrine and Chihuly Seaforms, a hard-

cover book that contains forty-four color photographs as well as informative

essays by art critic Joan Seeman Robinson and oceanographer Sylvia Earle.

Two elements in equilibrium, Roman Red Seaform Pair offers an enchant-

ing and modern portrait of ideal harmony.

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Roman Red Seaform PairHandblown Glass, 2006

$ 6,100

Like an abstract dream, Dale Chihuly's Fiori possess a beguiling ele-

ment of the fantastic. The series was born from the artist's desire to cre-

ate a garden of glass for the Tacoma Art Museum's fi rst exhibition in its

new building by Antoine Predock. Mille Fiori, Dale's answer to the chal-

lenge, was remarkable for its chimerical arrangements of color and form.

Writes art historian Barbara Rose, "Dale Chihuly has made fantasy environ-

ments that delight and enchant in ways that stimulate others to dream."

The 2005 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition Bel Fiore intensifi es these other-

worldly delights. The single form rests on its side, a haze of golden yellow

clouds surrounding a bright red, gently twisting spire. The handblown work

is signed by Chihuly and measures approximately twelve inches across.

Portland Press ships each Studio Edition with a Plexiglas vitrine de-

signed to protect and display the piece. Included with the artwork is

Chihuly Gardens & Glass, a hardcover book with three essays and sev-

enty-two photographs of Chihuly's work in botanical gardens and

outdoor locations around the world. This volume also features imag-

es of vintage conservatory postcards from Chihuly's own collection.

Bel Fiore, the fi rst Studio Edition from the Fiori series, is a distinctive work that

uses vivid primary colors to create a captivating reverie.

This Studio Edition will be discontinued December 31st, 2009

Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Bel FioreHandblown Glass, 2005

$ 8,100

Dale Chihuly's Persians ignite the imagination with a seductive appearance

of fragility. "In exploring ways to make the pieces thinner and stronger, I tried

blowing them into ribbed molds that could give them additional strength."

explains Chihuly. This added support allows the creation of unusual forms that

bend and twist with agile grace, a distinctive characteristic of the Persian series.

In Amethyst Persian, this technique makes for a dynamic pairing. The larger

of the two pieces, measuring approximately eleven inches across, rests on a

ball foot and fans out to create an oasis for the gently coiled serpentine form.

Bands of velvety lilac spiral around both pieces in a pleasing contrast to the

transparent violet of the larger form and the lime green interior of the smaller.

This handblown 2005 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition is signed by Chi-

huly and accompanied by a Plexiglas vitrine and the book Chi-

huly Persians, a hardcover with an informative essay and six-

ty color images that illustrate the variety of the Persian series.

The delicately balanced shape of Amethyst Persian comes alive with vo-

luptuous color entwined in arabesque patterns, and would make an ex-

cellent addition to your fi ne art collection.


Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Amethyst PersianHandblown Glass, 2005

$ 7,100

Art historian Robert Hobbs describes the essential qualities of Dale Chi-

huly's Macchia: "Seen under bright light they look like nature caught

on fi re, nature in molten fl ux, nature in the process of being creat-

ed." Works in this series glow with an internal radiance, as layers of

opaque and translucent color produce an effect of depth and mystery.

Sunset Macchia, a 2005 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition, smolders with this

elemental intensity. Its rippling, lime-tinted surface peppered with forest

green spots and threads of dark crimson gives dimension to the exterior.

A lemon yellow lip wrap defi nes the edge of the opening, and light re-

fracts within its magenta core, giving Sunset Macchia extraordinary vitality.

Chihuly engraves his signature onto this handblown work, which stands

approximately seven inches tall. Delivered with it is the book Chihuly alla

Macchia, a hardcover that explores the history of the Macchia series with

an essay by Robert Hobbs and illustrative, close-up photographs of thir-

ty-nine Macchia. This piece is also shipped with a Plexiglas display case.

Classic Chihuly, Sunset Macchia is an ebullient addition to the Studio Edi-

tion collection.


Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Sunset MacchiaHandblown Glass, 2005

$ 5,600

Dale Chihuly's Basket series grew from new inspiration as he began to

take greater advantage of the natural properties of glass. "The Baskets

went on to inform many of the series that followed. This blowing tech-

nique was the result of trying to make the forms appear as natural as pos-

sible," says Chihuly of the series that he takes to the limits of molten glass.

Chihuly's penchant for combining elements together to create a whole

is delicately expressed in the handblown Blue Sky Basket Set, and the

ethereal transparency of the piece invites marvel. Two pale blue ves-

sels with black lip wraps yield to gravity, their transparent forms exhibiting

the subtle characteristics of Chihuly's Basket series. One piece seems to

fl oat inside the other while fi ne lip wraps arc across the composition, add-

ing a refi ned sense of grace to this 2004 Bill Lowe Gallery Studio Edition.

Blue Sky Basket Set measures approximately eight inches in height and is

signed by the artist. A Plexiglas vitrine is included for presentation and the

148-page publication Chihuly: Baskets will enhance your appreciation of

this wonderful series.


Majestic Macchia

Glass

200

Blue Sky Basket SetHandblown Glass, 2004

$ 6,600

Dale Chihuly - Studio Editions

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