I was trying to come up with a topic to write about this week, when I remembered the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Denver Botanical Gardens. It was a passing memory that brought a smile to my face and a peaceful breeze to my spirit. My daughter and I went to the exhibit last summer 2014. I was not really sure what to expect. I wanted to be surprised so I didn’t look at any pictures of his art before I arrived at the gardens. I knew that he was an accomplished, famous artist who worked with glass. I was at a loss for how glass objects would interact with a beautiful garden. What I discovered was a kiss from the Creator himself. I was mesmerized by the harmony between the glass pieces and the garden itself.
The pieces glistened in the sun as they meshed with the water and plants surrounding them. The glass teardrops floated softly in the lake in front of the rock lantern luring the viewer into a quiet meditation. The flamingo-like spirals reflected complete symmetry in the still water, calming the soul. The pudgy, green aloe-plant type pieces embraced the live water plants around them. The water reflected the harmony of a loving relationship between glass and nature. An orange and red tree popped at the edge of a large green rolling hill and blond wild grass, causing an unwitting smile to spread gently across my face. The ice cube fountain riveted the viewer into a pleasurable inquisitiveness, while the understated, cloudy, glint of the white water flowers was exquisite. My daughter and I walk through the winding dirt paths where abrupt red spires protruding out of stark wild grass waited quietly to delight. It was indeed a day to remember.
What stands out the most in my mind about Chihuly’s art is that in as I recognized the silent call of beauty in his pieces I found the pause, the invisible, the silence in myself. It quieted my mind, calmed my heart, soothed my soul and ignited my passion for beauty. The crystal silence of beauty permeated the gardens with peace, passion, and harmony.
