I'm a titch giddy, Elizabeth, that the line you called out as the heart of it all is the line that flew off the page at me. It's just so -- empowered! As to the atelier of assistants, I like that you consider the [im]practicalities of that while also acknowledging that help comes in many forms. Chihuly's work is no less inspired than yours! :)
There was something amazingly empowering about watching an artist -- and his whole blessed atelier! -- altogether absorbed in making ... gigantic glass flowers and sea-creature chandeliers? Really??? Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely unnecessary on one level, and such a rich gift on six other levels. Not unlike, you know, poems. A truth that I forget on a regular basis, but managed to take in to a fully open heart (for a minute!) the night I saw the documentary.
Your question about the atelier full of assistants hit a chord with me. I've never been much of a team sport player; I suspect most of us who write aren't? But since April I've been part of a Substack writing community, working on weekly prompts together, and it's been pretty amazing. The voices in my head are really glad to have some company! I always thought the kinds of assistants you name were enough (and I'm grateful for them! I am!), but it feels like such a gift to have discovered the joys of (the right kind of) others to help with the heavy lifting of writing things. I love the way your wonderings about glassmaking/writing have deepened my way of looking at the community I've been experiencing.
You're right, Rita, that's another incredibly helpful sort of atelier. I had a taste of it during April, when I fell in with a group of Substackers doing a "poem a day" challenge. I was never so brave before about sharing absolute first drafts, given what a lively and encouraging group that was!
Very enjoyable to follow that poem through to the end and feel the intensity ramp up (heat up?). His stuff is wonderful to behold and is the very embodiment of "uselessness" except for the fact that beauty, whether musical, poetic, artistic, dance, is what makes our world turn and without that beauty the world would seem a pointless place.
Nature provides us with so many examples of "pointless" beauty that it would be both pointless and unnatural not to create some of our own. Thanks so much for reading, Wes.
Beautiful poem about this artwork. I did see Chihuly's art at a botanical garden a few years back. It's amazing how real these flowers work. Beautifully written! Love "clear voices and hard hands".
Elizabeth, this is a remarkable poem, and I especially love that village image of gathering other writers and poets around us to cheer us on in our work. I live in the Seattle area, and we have several Chihuly installations at the Space Needle, Benaroya Hall, and of course at the museum of Glass in Tacoma where Chihuly grew up.
What's noticeable to me is the way Dale has continued to give back to his hometown, and established the Pilchuck glass school, not content to simply keep the spotlight on himself, but always and ever a teacher, inspiring and carrying on his gifts to other artists. His work is both generous and generative.
Ps I did not follow your instructions and read this on my phone, so I apologize with the voice to text mashup of my response is wonky.
Trust me, I will find your poem again when I get to my computer and probably leave another comment. Loved this so much.
However you read the poem, Jody, I'm so glad you did! And voice-to-text did a great job with your comment. What a treat to grow up in "Chihuly country" and see the effect of his work and teaching on the community. Not a bit surprised that he's so generous as a teacher, but glad to learn about it.
in the world for Chihuly’s glass, so write something why don’t you,
find the artisans inside yourself to help you shape a new creation"
Has to be my favorite lines within a poem just full of bangers. With so much time in the world it doesn't hurt to create something, anything, even if it doesn't turn out perfect the first few times. 'It takes a few eggs to make an omelette' especially applies to the process of mastering your craft.
There was a moment in the documentary I watched, where someone had just finished crafting a huge petal-shaped piece of glass and taken it from the fire, and as they set it on the cooling shelf it cracked in pieces....! Ooops, start again. New meaning to the adage about eggs and omelets!
Thanks so much for reading, Daniel -- I'm glad the poem spoke to you.
I really love your analogies here. I have seen a Chihuly glass installation in person in Arizona at Frank Lloyd Wright's Talliesin West. It is huge! It takes a lot of men and women to do the heavy lifting and arranging of everything. And you creating in your head have all those poets that you've read and admired sitting on your shoulder to guide and inspire you! Well done!
So glad to open my ears and play audience to your wonderful poem reflecting the work of making both works of glass and works of words. Focus, trial and error, learned and honed skills these and so much more are required to bring something truly new into the world. Always a treat to see what you have created.
It takes a lot to make a thing. I did not know that Chihuly was blind in one eye. The Boston MFA has a beautiful installation of his work. Thank you for this beautiful poem and background on Chihuly's work!
"It takes a lot to make a thing" -- there's a true word, no matter what the thing is! Thanks so much for reading and commenting and simply being here, Pamela.
Chihuly glass - so amazing. Our local art museum has a wonderful piece of his, part of an outdoor installation. I get so caught up in the color and light of the glass - never contemplated the hard work that goes into it all. Poems are like that, too, though.... arranging words is a lot harder than one might think from just reading them. Hug!
I'm a titch giddy, Elizabeth, that the line you called out as the heart of it all is the line that flew off the page at me. It's just so -- empowered! As to the atelier of assistants, I like that you consider the [im]practicalities of that while also acknowledging that help comes in many forms. Chihuly's work is no less inspired than yours! :)
Thank you so much, Elizabeth!
There was something amazingly empowering about watching an artist -- and his whole blessed atelier! -- altogether absorbed in making ... gigantic glass flowers and sea-creature chandeliers? Really??? Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely unnecessary on one level, and such a rich gift on six other levels. Not unlike, you know, poems. A truth that I forget on a regular basis, but managed to take in to a fully open heart (for a minute!) the night I saw the documentary.
Thank heavens not everything in life is "necessary." Goodness, I can't even imagine.
Beyond gorgeous! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Thanks so much for reading, Kristine! I'm delighted that it spoke to you.
Dale Chihuly breathed life into his creations just as you do into your poems!
Truth is beauty and beauty is truth. (Keats)
🥰💞
Your question about the atelier full of assistants hit a chord with me. I've never been much of a team sport player; I suspect most of us who write aren't? But since April I've been part of a Substack writing community, working on weekly prompts together, and it's been pretty amazing. The voices in my head are really glad to have some company! I always thought the kinds of assistants you name were enough (and I'm grateful for them! I am!), but it feels like such a gift to have discovered the joys of (the right kind of) others to help with the heavy lifting of writing things. I love the way your wonderings about glassmaking/writing have deepened my way of looking at the community I've been experiencing.
You're right, Rita, that's another incredibly helpful sort of atelier. I had a taste of it during April, when I fell in with a group of Substackers doing a "poem a day" challenge. I was never so brave before about sharing absolute first drafts, given what a lively and encouraging group that was!
Very enjoyable to follow that poem through to the end and feel the intensity ramp up (heat up?). His stuff is wonderful to behold and is the very embodiment of "uselessness" except for the fact that beauty, whether musical, poetic, artistic, dance, is what makes our world turn and without that beauty the world would seem a pointless place.
Nature provides us with so many examples of "pointless" beauty that it would be both pointless and unnatural not to create some of our own. Thanks so much for reading, Wes.
Beautiful poem about this artwork. I did see Chihuly's art at a botanical garden a few years back. It's amazing how real these flowers work. Beautifully written! Love "clear voices and hard hands".
So glad you enjoyed it -- and thank for the restack as well.
Elizabeth, this is a remarkable poem, and I especially love that village image of gathering other writers and poets around us to cheer us on in our work. I live in the Seattle area, and we have several Chihuly installations at the Space Needle, Benaroya Hall, and of course at the museum of Glass in Tacoma where Chihuly grew up.
What's noticeable to me is the way Dale has continued to give back to his hometown, and established the Pilchuck glass school, not content to simply keep the spotlight on himself, but always and ever a teacher, inspiring and carrying on his gifts to other artists. His work is both generous and generative.
Ps I did not follow your instructions and read this on my phone, so I apologize with the voice to text mashup of my response is wonky.
Trust me, I will find your poem again when I get to my computer and probably leave another comment. Loved this so much.
However you read the poem, Jody, I'm so glad you did! And voice-to-text did a great job with your comment. What a treat to grow up in "Chihuly country" and see the effect of his work and teaching on the community. Not a bit surprised that he's so generous as a teacher, but glad to learn about it.
And I am grateful for this poem and reflection!
And the gratitude-ripples continue: grateful to you for reading, Mike.
I tried glass blowing once, all I managed was a little bubble. This poem is magical, I want to watch that documentary.
I'm in awe of you for managing a little bubble! Thanks so much for reading, Treasa.
"there is room in the world, love even
in the world for Chihuly’s glass, so write something why don’t you,
find the artisans inside yourself to help you shape a new creation"
Has to be my favorite lines within a poem just full of bangers. With so much time in the world it doesn't hurt to create something, anything, even if it doesn't turn out perfect the first few times. 'It takes a few eggs to make an omelette' especially applies to the process of mastering your craft.
There was a moment in the documentary I watched, where someone had just finished crafting a huge petal-shaped piece of glass and taken it from the fire, and as they set it on the cooling shelf it cracked in pieces....! Ooops, start again. New meaning to the adage about eggs and omelets!
Thanks so much for reading, Daniel -- I'm glad the poem spoke to you.
I really love your analogies here. I have seen a Chihuly glass installation in person in Arizona at Frank Lloyd Wright's Talliesin West. It is huge! It takes a lot of men and women to do the heavy lifting and arranging of everything. And you creating in your head have all those poets that you've read and admired sitting on your shoulder to guide and inspire you! Well done!
Thanks so much, Rose! I hope to see some of Chihuly's glass in person someday.
A super poem. I love how you demonstrate the beauty of creating something, be it glass or a poem. Also the wonderful encouragement of “so write
something why don’t you,
find the artisans inside yourself to help you
shape a new creation”
Yes, this is the real heart of the poem for me.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Maureen. 💛🌿
Just what we need in a complex, roiling world: Beauty. Thank you
Thank you, Shari!
So glad to open my ears and play audience to your wonderful poem reflecting the work of making both works of glass and works of words. Focus, trial and error, learned and honed skills these and so much more are required to bring something truly new into the world. Always a treat to see what you have created.
Thanks so much for being here in the audience, Sandy!
It takes a lot to make a thing. I did not know that Chihuly was blind in one eye. The Boston MFA has a beautiful installation of his work. Thank you for this beautiful poem and background on Chihuly's work!
"It takes a lot to make a thing" -- there's a true word, no matter what the thing is! Thanks so much for reading and commenting and simply being here, Pamela.
You welcome Elizabeth!
Chihuly glass - so amazing. Our local art museum has a wonderful piece of his, part of an outdoor installation. I get so caught up in the color and light of the glass - never contemplated the hard work that goes into it all. Poems are like that, too, though.... arranging words is a lot harder than one might think from just reading them. Hug!
Oh how wonderful to have some of his work nearby! Hugs to you, Nancy. 🌼