This is a blown glass sculpture suspended from the main lobby ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The famous American blown glass maker, Dale Chihuly, created this masterpiece entitled Fiori di Como. This photo doesn’t really convey the scale or intricacies of this work of art. One could stare at this sculpture for hours and still not capture all of it.
According to blog.lofty.com, here is a brief description of the sculpture: “Weighing in at 40,000 pounds, Fiori di Como is one of Chihuly’s largest, and most popular glass sculptures. The piece, located at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, is made up of about 2,000 pieces of hand-blown glass and covers approximately 2,000 square feet of the hotel ceiling. To create the massive installation, Chihuly employed a team of more than 100 professionals, including glassblowers, architects, engineers, shippers, installers and fabricators.” I recall reading an article about this particular sculpture which is valued at several million dollars. It took many months to install.
The reason for this post is two-fold. First, the blown glass reminds me of Spring which is generally associated with outdoors, yet the colors and shapes mimic some of nature’s most pleasant and unique features. Secondly, this art reveals the genius of man and the beauty he is capable of creating. Both are not by accident, but by Divine Design. Too often we are reminded of man’s ugly side and are told of God’s nonexistence or lack of concern for His children. Yet, we humans are his crowning achievement-warts and all. So, I am encouraged to exercise my creativity, and rejoice in His creation. And, I am pleased to join you in this endeavor, however minimal my contribution may be.
If one would look at only a blossom; one would conclude this is a flower and not a tree!
This past Friday, Cheryl and I came upon this Magnolia tree and we simply had to stop and take several shots. The folks inside the house probably thought we were paparazzi as we clicked away! As I downloaded these photos I was impressed with what I was actually seeing…not because we took them, but because of the stunning beauty of this living thing. Many of the trees in our area are coming to life, including the ornamental pear trees, dogwoods and redbuds which dot our landscape. Below is one such tree, but with a rather unusual twist. The weather turned from balmy to blustery as a cold front moved in on Sunday. The frontal clouds were awesome and made for a strange back drop for this pear tree in the front of our home. Spring offers up a surprise everyday, and aren’t you glad !
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