Macchia Forest

Chihuly's Macchia (pronounced mock' kia) are speckled with colors. Chihuly couldn't think of what to call this series of works when he began it in 1981, so he called an artist friend, Italo Scanga, and asked what the Italian word for "spotted" would be. Spotted in Italian is "macchia." When you look at the Macchia, notice that the interiors and exteriors of the vessels are different colors. Each side is distinct because a layer of white opaque glass separates them.