CHIHULY'S PENDLETONS

" Looking back, I think it is possible to say that . . . the pieces were wearing their drawings just as the Indians were wearing their blankets," reflects Dale Chihuly.

Twenty-six years ago, Chihuly attended an exhibition of Navajo blankets and was completely captivated. The brilliant colors, bold geometric designs, and intricate weaving of the textiles appealed to his interest in the interplay of strong colors and shapes. Chihuly later studied the designs, patterns, colors, and origins of trade blankets, recognizing their significance in history and the differences between their machine-made origin and that of the handmade blankets. Soon after, Chihuly began to create a series of glass cylinders that explore the blankets' beauty a pursuit he continued to perfect for twenty years while acquiring more than six hundred trade blankets in his private collection.

That artistic enterprise has culminated in this outstanding volume, its images honoring the history of an extraordinary culture and presenting the artist's accomplished interpretations of it. Chihuly's Pendletons features historical photographs, selections from Chihuly's own trade blanket collection, and the distinguished Blanket Cylinders series.

The book's foreword, written by historian Charles J. Lohrmann, renders a compelling account of the economic and human history of the blankets. Chihuly's Pendletons provides a rare opportunity to view both the artist's exquisite creations and the inspiration behind them.

Essays in the book:
The Indian Influences Upon My Work by Dale Chihuly
Collecting Trade Blankets by Dale Chihuly

2000 Hardcover
9 3/8 x 14"
256 pages, 188 color plates, 36 tritones
Published by Portland Press
Designed by Malcolm Grear
ISBN: 978-1-57684-015-3

• For a related book, see Chihuly Taos Pueblo.
• View a 16 minute video clip about Chihuly's Pendletons and their influence on his work.
• Go to the Pendleton postcards.