Spectacular Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit.

Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit – don’t miss this!

I procrastinated for a long time before publishing this post. After all, we visited the gallery in September 2019! One month flowed into the other, and then it was 2020, and then I was seeing the sad news of the devastating death toll as the pandemic reached Seattle.

With this post, I remember the Seattle I saw in September: a vibrant, bustling city. Once this crisis is over, we will once again enjoy visiting new places.

"Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow." Anita Desai.

Lots to see and do in Seattle

We visited the historic old city and spent a morning learning about Seattle’s importance as the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush. While ambling around the fish market, we discovered the Gum Wall. And we visited the Aquarium just down the road.

Seattle Pike Place Fish Market – Freshly caught fish.

My list of things to do and see included the well-known Fish Market where fishmongers throw full size fish to each other while singing, reciting poetry or whatever comes to mind at that moment. A visit to Seattle isn't complete without a bowl of Fish Market clam chowder. I had the chowder twice. Served piping hot, it is so deliciously satisfying particularly on a rainy day.

The Space Needle was visible each morning as we had breakfast not far from our hotel, and so it too, was on our list. But I could hardly wait to see the permanent Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibits.

Chihuly was influenced by Native American culture. The artist used his background in weaving to add colourful threads in his glass vessels.

Chandelier series. One of five installations from, or inspired by Chihuly over Venice.

Sealife Room. Sketches and final art work.

Mille fiori – gardens of glass in a darkened room.

Seattle trip to Chihully exhibit. — Seattle’s Chihully exhibit.

Seattle Chihuly exhibit. Chandelier series. One of five installations from, or inspired by Chihuly over Venice.

Glass Forest – glass stalks are illuminated and appear to be defying the forces of gravity.

Glasshouse is centerpiece of the exhibit. 100 ft. long.

Ikebana float boat. Two wooden rowboats. Ikebana with long glass stems, and Niijima with glass floats.

Mille fiori - Chihuly glass sculptures — Mille fiori – the artist said his mother’s garden served as inspiration.

Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibits

My photos do not show the incredible scale of the sculptures and their sheer beauty as the light strikes the glass surfaces and disperses into prisms of colour in darkened rooms, or as the sunlight gleams on the outdoor glass globes and spikes.

We oooohed and ahhhhhed through eight galleries of Chihuly’s works leading to the jaw dropping Glasshouse at the base of the Space Needle. When I thought our visit was over, I marvelled at the sculptures set in the lush greenery outdoors.

Born in 1941 in Washington State, Dale Chihuly studied interior design, sculpture, and glass blowing in America before receiving a scholarship to study at Venini Fabrica, a well-known glass blowing school in Murano, Italy.

The Seattle exhibit demonstrates the extent of Chihuly’s body of innovative work. It certainly emphasizes his tremendous creativity and curiosity whether it is Seaforms, to Chandeliers, to Bowls… even his preliminary sketches for some of the three dimensional works are on display in Seattle.

Chihuly’s works can be seen in other cities as well.

Seattle will recover and tourists will return. If you wish to do something a little different and very relaxing, take the Amtrak train as we did from Vancouver to Seattle, and plan on staying a few days. You won’t be disappointed.

The Seattle Space Needle seen through the Glass House. The sculpture varies in colour as the sun shines through the glass or as day fades to night.

Outdoor exhibit. Flowers and plants complement the sculptures.

Several years ago, I visited a local glass blower in Merrickville, Ontario. I bought two globe ornaments that I still display in my flower beds each year.

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." author unknown.

Favourite memories...

(A selection of favourite memories. I am fortunate to have seen many absolutely fabulous places in this great world of ours. Some places I have visited more than once because I love them so much, and once is just not enough!)

River Cruise – Illumination night cruise, Budapest

Louise at Meteora Greece in 2007 — Meteora, Greece

Magic Gardens Philadelphia 2015 — Magic Gardens Philadelphia

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 2005 — Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

Meet the artist Louise Primeau - Salzburg, Austria 2016 — Salzburg, Austria

Nerjas (Balcony of Europe) Spain 2017 — Nerja, Spain

Meet the Artist - Fall along the Rhine and Danube 2016. Cuba 1979 — Germany somewhere…

touring Havana in the rain — Havana Cuba…Hop on Hop off bus in the rain.

at restaurant in Old Havana — Havana – 3rd visit – 2016

old Havana restaurant — Havana – 2nd time – 2004

coconut treat in 1979 — Havana – 1st visit – 1979

4 Responses

Sally Burke says:

April 21, 2020 at 2:11 am

Hi Louise, I got quite a lump in my throat reading this blog and remembering the fabulous time we had with you and Neil. It certainly was an amazing place, and as you said, getting photographs to show the absolute beauty is hard, but then I think you have done a great job with what you have chosen.
- Louise says:
  
  April 21, 2020 at 7:28 am
  
  Hi Sally…this post allowed me to take a trip back in time and relive some of my favourite memories of the days we spent with you in Vancouver and in Seattle. I look forward to another meeting somewhere in the world once this pandemic is over.🥰
linienspiel says:

April 20, 2020 at 6:25 am

Great! Thanks for sharing.
- Louise says:
  
  April 20, 2020 at 7:38 am
  
  Thanks for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed the post.

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Spectacular Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit.