The initial inspiration for this trio of works by Dante Marioni [2014.4.68-2014.4.70] came from the laminated birch plywood “Leaf” Dish produced in 1951 by the Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985). To make these vessels, Marioni organized brightly colored and colorless canes into chevron patterns, picked them up on a blowpipe, and then shaped the glass into elongated, stylized leaf forms. The artist conceived this series during a trip to Australia, the home of the gum tree. One type of gum tree is the eucalyptus, whose long, narrow leaves resemble these vessels. Based in Seattle, Marioni was raised in a family of artists, and he was exposed to diverse theories and movements in contemporary art. He was taught traditional Venetian glassblowing and forming techniques by American and Italian master glassblowers—primarily Benjamin Moore (American, b. 1952) and Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934). Marioni was just 19 years old when his first solo show was presented in Seattle in 1987. That exhibition revealed his signature style of reinterpreting classical forms in unique ways. The forms are often elongated and whimsical, usually with bold colors, and always with impeccable technical skill. Marioni has established himself worldwide as a respected glassblower, and the leaf vessels represent some of his most recent work. Signed: “Marioni /2011,” engraved on base of each. For more information, see Tina Oldknow, Dante Marioni: Blown Glass, New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2000.