Gardens | Art Everyday

Dale Chihuly , master glassmaker, has come to Dallas! Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum is a must see exhibit. This man-made spectacle consists of fifteen glass sculptures situated among the Arboretum’s sixty-six acres. They soar into the air like this one, a blinding burst of colorful spikes wired to a tall armature.

Photo by Cecelia Feld

Some surprise you as you come upon them nestled in a small water garden. So much of Chihuly’s glass is brightly colored that seeing these white “macchia” forms placed among the lily pads is a nice change of pace and feels just right.

Photo by Cecelia Feld

Water is used as a setting as much as open space. Two skiffs, one filled with float balls, the other with wild and crazy shapes, sit on a small pond with White Rock Lake in the background. It’s easy to imagine Venice.

Photo by Cecelia Feld

There are sharp, reed-like spikes and gently curving Heron forms rising out of other small ponds.

Photo by Cecelia Feld

Some sculptures resemble out- of- this -world flora.

Photo by Cecelia Feld

Or fantastical sea creatures.

Photo by Cecelia Feld

As you enter a more enclosed garden a sunburst atop a tall pole greets you. Brilliant reds, yellows and oranges bombard the senses. You stare in wonder. How can glass be so fragile, yet so strong?

Photo by Cecelia Feld

Is this guy having a bad hair day?

There is no end to the surprises.

The exhibit runs through November 5, 2012. It’s worth multiple visits. The sculptures will look different by day or night and in different seasons.

There’s something about a visit to the Dallas Arboretum during “Dallas Blooms” that gets my creative juices flowing. 500,00 (that’s 1/2 million!) spring bulbs blast their color right at you. In your face red, yellow, orange, white, purple and pink. Now that’s Flower Power! If that can’t inspire me, on a gorgeous Texas spring day, when some parts of the U.S. are still thinking “maybe only one more snowstorm”, nothing can.

Lest you think tulips are the only attraction, take a look at this flowering cherry tree, blazing white against a brilliant blue sky.And, let’s not forget the azaleas.

Back in the studio I’ll be working on combining collage with painting on paper. Maybe I’ll try to capture the movement of thousands of tulips swaying in the breeze or just the riotous swaths of color. Can I express the essence of what I saw, what I remembered, of the experience? How will you respond to the finished works? What if you did not know where my inspiration came from?

Tag Archives: Gardens

Glorious Glass

What’s In A Number?