inspiration by Dale Chihuly

I am easily and often inspired. Probably because I LIKE to be inspired and I am pretty much on the lookout for inspirational people and things. 

This week, I had the fortune to see a beautiful exhibit at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA about the early work of Dale Chihuly. Not only did the exhibit show his early glass works, but it included some of his drawings. As soon as I saw this drawing below, I thought that I wanted to draw with a fist full of pencils. 

Since I am on the boat and only have the art supplies I brought with me, I made do with three artist pens. Awkward in my hand, I used them to do a series of gesture sketches of the passing sailboats. You most definitely aren't seeing double, or triple, it's the effect of multiple pens. 

 I am sorry I didn't buy the book, Chihuly Drawing when I was at the museum gift shop! Maybe I'll get it on the return trip.

I wonder if maybe the biggest predictor in being inspired by something or someone is my openness to being inspired. What do you think?

Tacoma and glass

the furnaces were fired and the artists worked the glass at MOG

Lemon Drop Mouse, glass sculpture done from a child's drawing at MOG

Union Station in Tacoma, "Wall of Baskets" by Dale Chihuly

Union Station sea forms by Dale Chihuly

Ooh, color and glass and more fun in Tacoma. The Museum of Glass has a wonderful exhibit of glass sculpture that were exact representations of children's drawings. I loved it! It reminds me that play is crucial to art making. The exhibit is on until October 2011. I hope you'll go there if you haven't already been. Next time I go, I will have to buy the catalog just to read the childrens' comments about their creature creations.

glass in Tacoma

abstracting the landscape in glass at a workshop at MOG

nighttime neon

nighttime view of "rock candy" glass

glass sea forms by Chihuly

Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA

departing Tacoma on the Thea Foss Waterway