Red Amber Persian Pair

Dale Chihuly’s Persian series, with their swirling forms, opulent color, and enigmatic shapes, recalls a rich kaleidoscope of far-off lands, bygone empires, and intriguing mystique. Artist and art critic Walter Darby Bannard notes, “In Chihuly’s Persians, I see a profound connection to the past, but it is a subtle and mysterious connection as complex as the history of Persia itself.” The Persians capture a timeless history communicated through the whisper of art.

The Red Amber Persian Pair combines the lithe, beguiling lines of Chihuly’s Persian series with the rich, saturated colors for which the artist is renowned. The two elements, each accented with a slender serpentine body wrap, sensuously interlace to form an intuitive union.

Signed by the artist, the handblown Red Amber Persian Pair measures approximately 11 inches across and is accompanied by a Plexiglas display case and the hardcover book Chihuly Persians. The 104-page Portland Press publication, with an essay by Tina Oldknow, offers an intriguing study of this captivating series.

The exotic essence of the Persians is epitomized in the lavish form and hue of the Red Amber Persian Pair—a 2010 Studio Edition that is a welcome addition to any fine art collection.

2010 Portland Press Studio Edition by Dale Chihuly, Photo: David Emery

 

 

Cerulean Macchia

Conceptualized in 1981, the Macchia series revolves around color and more color. “The Macchia series began with my waking up one day wanting to use all 300 of the colors in the hotshop,” remarks Dale Chihuly. “Color is one of the great properties of glass and is more intense in glass than any other material.” With virtually endless color combinations to explore, the Macchia remain a fresh continual study of vibrant, fluid form that has increased, over time, in size and scale.

Using a layering technique that keeps the interior and exterior colors separate, the Cerulean Macchia, a single composition, reveals a mercurial duality. Prismatic gemstone colors cover the exterior and are accentuated by an interior of brilliant turquoise. A deep red body wrap and dusting create a three-dimensional effect, adding depth to the surface.

Cerulean Macchia, signed by the artist and measuring approximately 9 inches, is presented in a museum-quality Plexiglas vitrine and is accompanied by the hardcover publication Chihuly alla Macchia.

Portland Press is proud to offer Cerulean Macchia, a striking mosaic of color with a bold spirit, as a 2010 Studio Edition.

2010 Portland Press Studio Edition by Dale Chihuly, Photo: David Emery

 

 

Jasmine Basket

Dale Chihuly’s Basket series began as a simple exploration of form rather than surface. Inspired by the effects that time had upon a collection of woven baskets, making them appear somewhat misshapen and gracefully rumpled, he decided to allow natural forces rather than traditional tools to shape the forms. Chihuly began composing sets of multiple elements, progressively drawing contemplation inward within the form. Art historian Linda Norden remarks, “If one looked into these groupings of Baskets rather than at them, new worlds opened up and one could lose oneself to the seduction of forms within forms within forms.”

The Jasmine Basket evokes the continued grace and timeless elegance of Chihuly’s Basket series. Two golden yellow vessels, accented with distinctive contrasting lip and body wraps, compose this 2010 Studio Edition. The smaller element is endearingly cocooned within the environment of its larger counterpart, together conveying an air of gracious unity.

Handblown and signed by the artist, the pair together measure approximately 8 inches. Included is a specially designed Plexiglas vitrine and a companion book, Chihuly Baskets. The 148-page hardcover publication features two essays and seventy-five color images.

Portland Press is delighted to offer the Jasmine Basket, a harmonious study of sculpture and balance.

2010 Portland Press Studio Edition by Dale Chihuly, Photo: David Emery

 

Royal Violet Basket Set

More than twenty years ago, a dialogue between artist and material began from which Dale Chihuly’s Basket series emerged. Breaking free of the traditional symmetry and functionality of glass, Chihuly’s interpretation expresses an instinctive, organic quality that draws upon three fundamental elements: gravity, fire, and breath. Rippling and dimpling under the natural force of gravity and pushed to the edge of its limitations by fire and breath, this series embodies glass beyond boundaries and Chihuly’s vision as stated by the artist himself: “letting glass find its own form.”

Royal Violet Basket Set, a 2010 Portland Press Studio Edition, exemplifies the weightless organic fluidity of the Basket series. The large Basket, flushed with a delicate violet mist and gently illuminated by a golden body wrap, envelops two small violet vessels, forming an inner microcosm, veiled and secretive.

Measuring approximately 8 1/2 inches in height, this signed, handblown work is presented in a Plexiglas vitrine. The set is completed by the 148-page hardcover Portland Press publication Chihuly Baskets.

With its expressive form and contemplative composition, the Royal Violet Basket Set will enhance one’s appreciation of this incomparable series.

2010 Portland Press Studio Edition by Dale Chihuly, Photo: David Emery