Dale Chihuly was born on September 20th, 1941 in Tacoma and is still alive today at the age of 81. He’s an American glass artist and entrepreneur. He is best known in the field of blown glass, “moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture”. However, in 1976, while Chihuly was in England, he was involved in a head-on car accident that propelled him through the windshield. His face was severely cut by glass, and he was blinded in his left eye. After recovering, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in 1979 while bodysurfing. No longer able to hold the glassblowing pipe, he hired others to do the work. Chihuly explained the change in a 2006 interview, saying “Once I stepped back, I liked the view”, and said that it allowed him to see the work from more perspectives, enabling him to anticipate problems earlier.

Personally, I really love his glass artwork. Working with glass is dangerous, but it sure does look pretty and colorful.