Sunday, March 14, 2010

Don't Throw Stones at Glass...



The old adage "people who live in glass houses should
not throw stones " may not be true to the actual meaning
here, but you really would not want to throw stones
at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Not just because
of all of the glass that covers the Conservatory but
also because of the glass on display inside while we
were there....



and especially if you happen to have glass ceilings
that look like this.





This glass ceiling was in the entry ceiling to the
Himalayan Room there. It was just one among the
many beautiful glass displays created Dale Chihuly.





Some of it was a little over my head... no pun intended...
But most just left you in awe of its use in and around
the various rooms of the conservatory.








Maybe a little fire and water with its use in this
water display.






Scattered among the Palm Room displays..





Reeds of glass growing out of the plants....
Is it plants or glass?






Glass reeds were in several of the rooms.





This vase was slightly large for my very small
house......





but I could see maybe one of the blooms from the
vase displayed in one of the flower beds.





Giant bowls of glass were also in different locations.
were they blooms, clams, or just gorgeous bowls?






These were in the Desert Room.





I would hate to wash these giant bowls or blooms.





There were even giant glass balls in the displays.





These made my bowling ball that I have in my
woods flower bed look really small.





These were lite up in a darker room and looked so pretty.





A spot of dark orange to light up all of the green
leaves in the Tropical Room.





The giant glass displays hanging from the ceilings
were not to my taste in home decor but were pretty.





I really would not want to have been the one to clean
or take these fragile hangings up or down.




No one could say they were not eye opening and
works of art. Maybe a couple would have looked
good at the Home and Garden Show's "Art in Bloom".

The Chihuly Exhibition will be on display until
March 28th. Also now through July 8th the " Blooms
and Butterfly
" Exhibition is going on. The butterflies
will be throughout the rooms. They were hanging some
butterfly chrysalis the day we were there in a windowed
room where you could watch them emerge.
The school tours will love this exhibit.






This was not a part of the Chihuly exhibition but
more to my size in home decor.
This miniature conservatory
was just the cutest and
had every little detail included inside.





Happy Gardening Everyone !






31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Lona, I was most interested, and indeed impressed, to see the range of modern glass, whether in ceilings or in vases or in decoration, on display in your pictures.

Possibly for my taste some of the colours were too vibrant. If one has seen the Medieval glass in, say, Chartres Cathedral, then I feel one is perhaps a little spoilt for anything else.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Now that is a garden show worth going to! The glass is magnificant especially among the plants.

Eileen

Anonymous said...

I just love the bright colors of Chihuly glass, especially the colorful ceilings. My favorites are the big balls, but the crazy chandeliers are too fancy for me.

Sabrina said...

Thanks for sharing this! I didn't realize there was a Chihuly show up there! We saw some of his work when we were visiting Columbus, Indiana, and I believe the Cincinnati Art Museum has one of his chandeliers as well. Gorgeous stuff. We might need to take a trip north this month!

Meredith said...

Lona, I saw the Chihuly exhibition when it came to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and enjoyed the sunlight coming through the glass. I'd even have considered putting in a couple of the ones that blended in beautifully with the plants, such as the glass reeds you've shown here. You did a great job photographing his art. :)

Lona said...

Eileen; It did add a lot of color to all of the greens that were in the exhibitions.

Edith: Oh, it does not even compare to the windows in the Cathedral. I would so love to see them.Some of the colors are to gaudy for me too.;-)

Robin: They were a bit much for me too Robin. The ceiling was my favorite.You will have to go see the Butterflies and give us some pictures.

Sabrina: With both the exhibitions going on this month it would be an ideal time to visit.Wish I could see the butterflies.

Meredith: His displays of glass sure get around then :-) My flower beds are so small they would be overwhelmed by his art.

Noel Morata said...

aloha lona,

i love art in the garden especially on this scale and chihuly's work is so impressive on the grand scale that large conservatories and other gardens deserve...what a treat and tour...thanks for sharing this - it was breathtaking to see all the various rooms.

BernieH said...

Wow ... now that would be worth seeing! Your photos certainly show the fantastic colours ... what a place. Thanks for showing us this amazing display.

Balisha said...

This is such a beautiful post. I went to his website...what a fascinating artist. I love the colors and they way things were mixed with the plants. Thanks for showing these.
Balisha

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I first saw his work when we were in Vegas and went into the Bellagio. Magnificent photos Lona!!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I love the glass art. Dale Chihuly is from here so we are lucky to see his art in lots of places, although I still haven't made it to his glass museum.
I love the little conservatory!

Christine B. said...

Love this virtual tour. I bought a few glass objects for the garden at the Seattle garden show. Is glass a hot garden trend right now, I wonder?

Christine in Alaska

pogonip said...

Dale Chihuly is one of my favorites. We were fortunate to have an exhibit in Reno a few years ago, but it couldn't compare to the beauty of glass combined with the lush greenery. Wow!

Anonymous said...

What amazing art glass! The purple reeds against the green really caught my eye (but then, I always fall for purle shades) along with the big glass balls.

Lona said...

Noel: Aloha. It was a treat to see the colors and gardens too. Great escape.

Bernie: It was well worth going there to see it all. It is a great place to visit on a cold winter day.

Balisha: yes, it did lend a lot of color to all of the tropical greens. Pretty and different.

Janet: His work gets around much more than I thought but I can see why. It does look better in a garden setting.

Catherine: Isn't the miniature so cute. I had never heard of his work until Robin had pictures of her visit on her blog and we were going to visit and read about his glass work still being exhibited. I enjoyed it all.

Christine: I have saw a lot of glass items too that are coming out to put in the garden.

Pogonip: It was a beautiful combination. All too big for small gardens so the conservatory was a great place to showcase it.

Gippslandgardener: You go to purple like I go towards blues. I loved the blue reeds and bowls. Thanks for dropping by!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Your photos are just breathtaking. What an amazing artist!!! Much as I love his work, I can't help but be nervous whenever I see it. So fragile.
Marnie

Tootsie said...

wow this is incredible!!! I bet it was even more impressive in person!!! thanks for showing us!!! wow...just wow

Kimberly said...

WOW! Crazy pretty! I like the orbs, but really like the squiggly glass too!

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Terrific post, Lona! Chihuly is "our" guy, he was born in Tacoma that is several miles from us.

garden girl said...

Oh how gorgeous! I love Chihuly glass.

Diva Kreszl said...

oh my this is a beautiful exhibit! what can be done with glass is just amazing. thanks for stopping by to visit and taking the time to leave a comment, I love getting company :)

Lona said...

Marnie: Wouldn't that be nerve wracking to handle that glass. LOL!

Tootsie: Girl it was quite a sight to see for sure.

Kimberly: I thought the squiggly glass was outer space decor. LOL!

Tatyana: That is wonderful to have such a great artist nearby. Creative people come from Washington state. ;-)

Garden Girl: You have to admit it was something different for the garden. LOL!

Diva: Thanks so much and so glad you dropped by too.

Kay said...

Lona,
All very beautiful items in the garden.
You asked about the covered bridge on my blog...
it is no longer in use. It is now just a historical landmark and tourist stop. Still beautiful though.
Kay

Carol said...

Lona, Your glass ceiling photos blow me away! Pun intended! How beautiful!! It must have been amazing to be there! What a great glass exhibition... Love your title! ;>)

Stephanie said...

I enjoyed this tour very much! Love all the glass pieces here. The big bowls looking like clams are my favourite. I love their colours also. Thanks for sharing.

The Idiot said...

You've got to love those ceilings! It's like the 1960s never ended.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Lona said...

Kay: I am glad that they kept it intact. Love old covered bridges. We just have a few left in Ohio.

Carol: I think the glass ceiling was my favorite. It was beautiful to be beneath it looking up through. Very pretty.


Stephanie: I was partial to the big teal and blue one of course. ;-)

Idiot Gardener: LOL! Psychedelic Colors!

Brenda Pruitt said...

I've heard of this glass before. It certainly is remarkably beautiful. I'd love to know what those balls are made of and where I could get them. And the conservatory is stunning.
Brenda

Tankar från Trädgårdsmästarn; Hillevi said...

... and, of course! The very second I saw your name in the comments, I rememebered where I might have seen that image... and then I saw your little wink and I knew. Sorry, but I am now going to put you down there.
See you!

Lovely glass, by the way. I used to be the head buyer of Art Glass in a big departement store here in Stockholm, so I know about Dale C. sincce twentyfive years. Great artist, a bit over the top sometimes for me...

Anonymous said...

Hi Lona~~ Such incredible talent. It reminds me of underwater scenes. Love those bowling ball-esque things.