Chihuly at Phipps, part II: Gardens and Glass by Day

On a cold winter evening a few months ago, my husband and I visited an exhibition of Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. I was so impressed by the work and the setting that I returned the following week to see the display in the daylight. A recent surge of interest in the photo essay I wrote about the original visit has inspired me to publish images from the second visit. Triple Points Week had nothing to do with it... ok, maybe a little to do with it.


The main entrance to Phipps is through the Welcome Center, topped by an iron and glass dome. Chihuly created this chandelier specifically for the Phipps exhibit, and has gifted it to the conservatory to grace the Welcome Center long after the exhibit has ended.



The photo above doesn't show off the brilliant colors very well, so I'll give you another view. The sky was overcast when I entered the conservatory, making it easier to capture the colors. By the time I left, the sky had cleared up, offering a generally pleasant view, but more muted colors from the glass. Either way, taking a picture of glass against a background of clear glass and sky is a tricky practice.





Gilded Fiori in the Tropical Fruit and Spice Room. This piece was also featured in my earlier photo essay.





Flowering bamboo in the Tropical Forest Conservatory.





There were dozens of Ikebana scupltures throughout the conservatory. My earlier photos feature one overlooking the coi pond in the Orchid Room. I don't recall whether this specific piece was in the Palm Court or the Tropical Forest Conservatory.




The Victorian Room contains a reflecting pool that makes an almost perfect mirror for Persians suspended above it. The yellow and orange Persians in the top left and right of this image are floating on the surface of the pool. Everything else in the image is a reflection.




Just for Mac: the Garden Train in the dead of winter.





My personal favorite - Cobalt Fiori in the East Room.




More Cobalt Fiori.





Can you tell I like the Cobalt Fiori?




It should be noted that Mr. Mac receives no credit for any of these photos as he was not present on this expedition. There's no one to blame for these other than myself.