Time for some more Dale Chihuly art glass, as seen at the Denver Botanic Gardens. My wife and I both decided that some pieces looked best in daylight, while others were real stand-outs when lit up at night — so for comparison’s sake, let’s look at the installation White Tower over a few hours’ time.
White Tower is a fine piece — but in daylight, we both thought it was most interesting up close. Those magenta spots on the white branches (tentacles?) aren’t painted on — they’re clear areas in a white outer layer, which let the inner color shine through.
Unfortunately, the background is a bit too cluttered to really set the piece off, at least from this angle.
A few hours later, and White Tower really starts to come into its own (unfortunately it also picked up an antenna mast in the background from this perspective — I had a heck of a time getting shots that weren’t crowded by other visitors). With both reflections and lily pads visible, the reflection of the piece almost looks like roots at this hour.
It’s in full darkness that I think White Tower really shines (literally as well as figuratively). From the right angle, you also get the nice reflection from the pond it’s currently displayed in as well.