Inspiration for making handmade glass jewelry: visiting the Chihuly exhibit at New York Botanical Garden

When it comes to making glass pieces, I'm still fairly new to the discipline. After all, I've only been doing this for about a year-and-a-half. I'm skilled, but hardly an expert. I'm always looking for inspiration from artists who really are experts -- and none has been more inspirational to me than Dale Chihuly.

Yesterday, my husband and I spent the day at the New York Botanical Garden , which is currently featuring a few dozen Chihuly glass sculptures. His medium is blown glass and if you're not familiar with his work, take a look at these gorgeous creations:

He's been working professionally with glass since the 1960s and his art has been displayed in parks and gardens throughout the world. We're fortunate to have him in NYC through October -- so if you're in town, definitely go to the exhibit.

Much of his work is inspired by nature, especially the sea. This is evident in many of his whimsical pieces, which resemble shells, seaweed or coral. What's really amazing about his sculptures is how well they blend into the real plant life. In some cases, it was difficult to tell which was real and which was glass.

The exhibit itself is present throughout most of the garden -- which is enormous. Jon and I covered over six miles walking around it! That said, it feels almost like you're on a scavenger hunt as you wander from section to section, searching for Chihulys. We could usually spot them by the huge crowds that gather around the pieces.

It was difficult choosing a favorite, but I think I'll have to go with those first three that are pictured in this post. I especially like that blue sculpture, which is appropriately named "Sapphire Star." It's simpler than his other pieces, but I love the vibrant colors.

When you get up close to these sculptures, you can see the details he puts into his work. For instance, his iceberg piece has actual cracks in the ice. Meanwhile, his glass "leaves" have the various shades of green that you'd see in a real plant. I know a tiny bit about glass blowing because they teach it at Brooklyn Glass, but I didn't realize you can add so much detail.

Jon would like to take a glass blowing class; meantime, I plan to show my photos to my students so they can see just what can be done with glass. His work has inspired me to be a bit more experimental and I hope it encourages them to be bold when coming up with their designs.

I'm no Chihuly, but you can still check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

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