Greetings from Asbury Park New Jersey!   Asbury Park, home of The Stone Pony and inspiration for Bruce Springsteen’s legendary first album, the newly renovated Asbury Park has a plethora of things to do.   One recent Sunday, I visited Hot Sands, a fairly new hands-on art experience right on the beach in Asbury.  A few steps from Convention Hall, the old Howard Johnson's--now a trendy restaurant owned by Tim McCloone called Tim McCloone's Supper Club-- www.timmcloonessupperclub.com--, and Madam Marie's (yes, that Madam Marie), Hot Sands is a great way to spend an afternoon.  Check it out at http://www.HotSandAP.com.

At Hot Sands you can try glass blowing.  If you have the time and interest, you can take classes here, as well.  Since this was my virgin experience, I chose to blow a small bubble with one color.  Bubbles come in three sizes.  You can add more color, swirls or other designs, but I decided to start small and keep it simple.  There are a myriad of colors to choose from.  This is addictive!

I'm captivated and intrigued by glass. This is a substance that is first liquid and then becomes solid through a combination of heat, alchemy, the expertise of the glass blower, and a bit of magic.  Magic.  Each piece of blown glass is unique.  I have long been obsessed with Dale Chihuly.  He is the Zen master of glass in this country and his work has been commissioned all over the world.  I'm on a mission to see as much of it as I can and to turn as many of my friends on to him as I can.  

Dale Chihuly is a genius and my favorite living artist.  He designs the most extraordinary sculptures, objects, and chandeliers out of glass in colors that look like the inside of a kaleidoscope.  

I discovered him on a PBS special several years ago.  He had gone to Venice to work with the Venetian glass blowers.  At the end of the experience, he hung pieces over the canal and finally, sent colored glass bubbles floating along the Grand Canal while trying not to get caught by the local water police.  I was hooked.

I saw his work for the first time in the middle of the casino at Atlantis in the Bahamas.  I stopped dead in my tracks and knew it was a Chihuly, but needed confirmation.  While everyone around me was searching for the perfect slot machine, I went searching for a concierge to confirm my suspicion.  When I found one, I asked him if the gigantic orange glass marvel was, in fact, a Chihuly.  He smiled knowingly and nodded yes.  Now, I was REALLY hooked. 

How this one-eyed genius shapes hot liquid into the shapes he creates is simply mystical.  The colors he imbues into the creations are unique, dazzling, and ever-changing as they catch the light.

Whenever I travel to a new city, I do my research to see if he has work displayed there.  I saw some wonderful pieces in New Orleans.  I’ve been to several of his shows in New York City, including the in situ creation at the Bronx Botanical Gardens (there is one currently in Phoenix, Arizona).  Here, he created pieces that fit the landscape.  They floated in the pond; they sprouted up from the earth.  They danced like birds and flowers in the garden.  Gorgeous.  Genius.

His home and studio are in Seattle.  His studio is closed to the public, but there are installations nearby.  Needless to say, that is on my travel destination list of places I still need to visit.   Learn more about Chihuly and glass blowing at  www.chihuly.com .

His influence can be seen throughout the Seattle area especially at the Museum of Glass where his Bridge of Glass is supposed to be a marvel to witness.  Go to: www.museumofglass.org  to see more.