Art Talk: Rotolos

For 6 months I have been going to the Desert Botanical Garden regularly. Now I want to share pictures of pieces from Chihuly in the Desert that I took in the gallery.

Dale Chihuly
Rotolo, 2017-2018
Blown Glass
About 35 x 24 x 19" (88.9cm x 60.9cm x 48.2cm)
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona

Rotolo

"Glass is the most magical of all materials. It transmits light in a special way."

Rotolo (Italian for "coil") are some of the most technically challenging work Chihuly has created. Weighing as much as 40 pounds, each piece is simultaneously heavy and delicate.

Chihuly began the series in 2013 on an exploration of the quality of light emanating from the complex clear glass forms. Over time he expanded the series to include rich hues of red, blue, green and purple.

The clear glass really is special.

Here is a look at the other colors.

One of the things I like best about the Rotolos is that they move and change as you move around them.

As mentioned above Chihuly started this series in 2013. As part of the exhibit there are many of his prints. I really like when I can see sketches or prints of the piece.