As Dale Chihuly continued to explore the Basket series, he increasingly gained more control over the glass and its response to breath, heat, gravity, and gestural manipulation. Over time, he experimented with the use of an optical mold to introduce a textural ribbed effect that also strengthened the glass form. These undulating, organic forms conjured abstract sea life; thus, Chihuly’s Seaform series was born.

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The two-piece 2020 Monarch Seaform Studio Edition illustrates the wavelike motion of the series’ quixotically abstract forms. Each golden-orange element is grazed by a lapis-blue lip wrap and shows one of two variations of a sienna-colored body wrap. The larger, exterior element presents Chihuly’s traditional wrap while the interior form reveals a distinctly staccato wrap. Together, the elements narrate an asymmetrical yet eloquent balance.

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