Work (landing)

Chihuly’s passion for the glass medium gave rise to decades of experimentation which has led the artist’s work away from tradition to elicit organic forms, push boundaries of scale to create massive architectural installations, and to study the powers of translucency and of light passing through color. This exploration has culminated in a body of work which reveals the aesthetic capacity of the material, from quiet pieces to dynamic, colorful installations that are celebrated in museums and gardens around the world. 

Drawing has been essential to Chihuly’s practice since his days as an interior design student at University of Washington, where he learned to make meticulous pencil-and-wash renderings. He works with a variety of media including acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, graphite—even fire—to create his expressive two-dimensional artworks, which reference the development of his work in glass.

Chihuly’s interest in architecture and the way form interacts with light and space are apparent throughout his body of work. His ambitious artwork installations, which are placed in public spaces, museums, and botanical gardens around the world, interact harmoniously with their environments while affecting spatial perceptions to inspire profound experiences. 

Chihuly creates Edition Artwork, in glass and prints, which celebrates some of his most notable series.