Chihuly glass art, day 2 in St. Petersburg, Florida

My visit to downtown St. Petersburg included a comfortable hotel room (The Inn on 3rd) within easy walking distances to nearby major attractions. One is the permanent exhibit of the glass art of Dale Chihuly, a native of the U.S. northwest, Chihuly's work has attracted attention of viewers worldwide.

The above is a hanging chandelier, about 10 feet in length, created on a private commission, now at the Morean Art Center in St. Petersburg.

Next is one of many works entitled "Ikebana," reflecting the Japanese tradition of floral arrangement. Each element is a separate item.

Chihuly grew up in the Pacific northwest of the United States, where glass floats from Japanese fishing nets occasionally drift ashore. Here is a boat full of globes representing fishing floats. Click here for the video.

Here is another chandelier. Each piece is created separately and then assembled in place.

The "Persian ceiling" consists of many different glass objects, all reflecting light. Our guide explained that Dale Chihuly built a swimming pool with a "Persian" base.

At the far end of the Persian ceiling is another beautifully balanced Ikebana arrangement.

This is a blue neon installation:

Click here to see the video.

And here is the Pièce de resistance, entitled I Fiore, "Flowers:" 

Click here to see the video.

The Chihuly permanent exhibit is at the Morean Art Center in downtown St. Pete. An admission ticket to the exhibit includes an opportunity to view local artists working in the "Hot Shop" and learn about the process of creating a new work.