White Pearl Seaform Pair, 2012

Handblown Studio Edition glass
approx. 9 inches wide
$5,600 USD

Among the earliest series in Dale Chihuly?s career, Seaforms has evolved and expanded to become one of the most iconic aspects of his aesthetic language. ?The glass is defined as a super-cooled liquid. And it?s transparent, like water. And so the idea that the objects end up looking like they came from the sea is no accident. It is almost like water itself,? explains Chihuly about his Seaform series.

With a refined sculptural agility, the 2012 Studio Edition White Pearl Seaform Pair draws its visual strength from the dexterous balance between the elements of the composition. The twisting white body wrap laid over clear glass adds motion to the pair as if the two elements are being swept to and fro underwater. The turquoise lip wrap draws the eye outward, away from the interior?s kinetic energy, to the gentle scallop of the sculpture?s outer edges. Together the two elements correspond with a poised elegance. |

Signed by the artist, the handblown White Pearl Seaform Pair measures approximately 9 inches across and is accompanied by a plexiglass display case and the hardcover book Chihuly Seaforms. The 112 page publication offers an introductory essay by the oceanographer Sylvia Earle and forty-four colour photographs.

We are pleased to introduce the first white Studio Edition in the collection, White Pearl Seaform Pair.

Scarlet Leaf Ikebana, 2012

Handblown Studio Edition glass
approx. 11 inches tall
$7,100 USD

Ikebana is a disciplined Japanese floral art with an emphasis on balance, harmony, and form. These beautiful, minimalistic flower arrangements made an impression on Dale Chihuly during a number of his visits to Japan in the 1980s. Feeling as if he had pushed the scale of his earlier Venetian series as far as possible, Chihuly began experimenting with deeper and broader vessels, stripping them bare of embellishments and adding stems with flowers and leaves. The result was Chihuly?s Ikebana series, echoing the essential aesthetics of the traditional ikebana while marked by the artist?s revolutionary use of colour, distinctive lines, and the strength of pure form.

The 2012 Studio Edition Scarlet Leaf Ikebana is a two-piece composition that illustrates the simple elegance of this Chihuly series. Patches of silver and gold and opaline spots adorn the amber vessel, establishing an elemental ground for a graceful, coiling stemmed leaf. The scarlet lead, ribbed and touched with discreet streaks of gold, emerges from the case with a seducing curved equilibrium and rests ion a perfectly balanced point. The combination is one of serene rapport.

The Scarlet Leaf Ikebana, signed by the artist and measuring approximately eleven inches high, is accompanied by a custom-designed Plexiglas display case and a copy of Chihuly Gardens & Glass. This 192-page, full-colour publication includes beautifully photographed images of Chihuly?s exhibit at Garfield Park Conservatory and other outdoor installations.

The 2012 Studio Edition Scarlet Leaf Ikebana exemplifies a timeless grace and sophistication.

?There is something about the endless variation and mutation in Chihuly?s work that gives it a tangible affinity with natural selection, particularly the plant world,? says Tim Richardson, Garden and landscape critic and historian. This organic affinity between plant life and Dale Chihuly?s work is particularly pronounced in his Persian series, which has become an integral feature of the artist?s garden installations throughout the world. The fluid, rhythmic patterns of the Persians may be found floating in ponds amid a variety of extraordinary flora and fauna or suspended over towering cacti, bathed in brilliant coloured light, allowing the artist a compelling correspondence with nature.

The 2012 Studio Edition Violet Persian Pair, a dramatic two-piece composition, unfolds in a swirling wave of plush aubergine. Against this dense colour, a tonal body wrap emphasizes the sculpture?s lyrical swells, which culminate in a contrasting green lip wrap. The smaller, cone-shaped element draws the dialogue of colour and form into the interior of the composition. Its twisting body unfurls into a verdant green that brings the luminosity to the Persian?s epicenter.

The handblown Violet Persian Pair is signed by Dale Chihuly and measures approximately eleven inches across. The set is accompanied by a custom-designed Plexiglas vitrine with a black base and hardcover book Chihuly Persians, which features an essay by the art historian Tina Oldknown.

The Violet Persian Pair is an alluring example of the organic beauty of this important series.
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Aqua Blue Macchia

?I never met a color I didn?t like.? This statement by Dale Chihuly is evidenced in his vanguard series Macchia, which emerged in 1981. The series, first called the ?uglies? by Chihuly?s mother because of its unusual colours, became a platform for the artist to experiment with the endless variations and capabilities of colour in the medium of glass. Chihuly?s refined sense of unique colour combinations continues to delight and amaze us in this extraordinary series.

Cool turquoise meets mischievous orange in the 2012 Studio Edition Aqua Blue Macchia. Deep indigo ?jimmies,? small chips of coloured glass, are scattered across the turquoise exterior, adding depth and dimension. The ripples and folds of the graceful slumping form and induced by gravity and further emphasize the dynamic orange core of the Macchia. A Chartreuse lip wrap accentuates the unique colour palette of the piece.

The Aqua Blue Macchia comes with a specially designed vitrine and a copy of Chihuly alla Macchia, a volume that features 103 colour images and an essay by art historian Robert Hobbs. This handblown pieces, signed by Chihuly, is approximately six inches high.

Introduce a brilliance of colour to your collection with the Studio Edition Aqua Blue Macchia.

All photos by David Emery