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Team Chihuly Visits Pilchuck Glass School for Annual Special Blow

Every year, Dale Chihuly and his glassblowing team, together with Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, travels to Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA for a special blow. The annual events are attended by Pilchuck students, artists, and faculty, along with enthusiasts and collectors of fine art glass. On this occasion, the Team created Garnet Flame Baskets to mark the conclusion of the series’ 40th Anniversary celebration.

The Garnet Flame Baskets developed that day featured Chihuly’s “pick-up technique” in which threads and shards of glass are laid out into intricate patterns.

The molten glass Basket form is then rolled over the glass threads to “pick up” the design and melted into the surface of the glass bubble.

Chihuly is known for pushing the boundaries of glass and experimenting with organic shapes and monumental scale.

Dale Chihuly and gaffer James Mongrain shape a Basket.

Team Chihuly’s James Mongrain and Trenton Quiocho

Dale and Leslie Chihuly, Team Chihuly and Pilchuck Glass School staff and students end the day with a commemorative group photo.

Dale Chihuly, Garnet Flame Basket with Drawing Shard, 2018, 13 x 12 x 13''

The Garnet Flame Basket with Drawing Shard, one of the finished works from the blow, will be featured at Pilchuck’s Annual Auction Gala on Saturday, October 20.

Pilchuck Glass School was founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly and Anne and John Hauberg. What began as a one-time glassblowing workshop grew to a premiere program hosting over 500 students and resident artists every summer. Pilchuck is designed to foster the ingenuity of the glass medium by providing an educational experience in an inspiring environment.

Learn more about Pilchuck Glass School at pilchuck.com.

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