Maestro Tagliapietra introduced a new panel series that was designed and produced in Murano, Italy, over the course of 2020-2021. To fight the pandemic and lockdown Lino decided to dedicate all of his time to very complex projects he never had enough time to give my full attention to. After a long year and a half of trials and hard work this was his ultimate innovation: Dream of a Long Winter.

This artwork is composed exclusively of Florencia murrina, created by layering and folding together different colors of flat ribbon cane. This series is named for the fleur-de-lis symbol that represents the city of Florence. 

The Ala series developed after the Endeavor. The “V”-shaped artworks, though seemingly uncomplicated, posed a challenge for Lino who needed to consider the right type of mold that could accommodate his vision. The Ala as we know it today was first made in 1995 at the Pilchuck Glass School while Tagliapietra was working with glassblower William Morris. Since then the bird-like shapes have become a signature of Lino’s career.

One of the Maestro’s most enduring series, the Dinosaur series represents the drama of glassblowing. Lino stretches and curves the neck of the vessel in the last moments of the glassblowing process - a feat that requires the precision and attention of the entire glassblowing team.

Inspired by his visit to Australia and the aboriginal paintings he saw there, Lino created the Kookaburra series. These vessels feature vibrant and intricate patterns, similar to the aboriginal style, and play with balance as the forms often perch atop a small base.

Considered by the Maestro to be “the biggest technical challenge” of his career. The Maestro began working on this idea in 1968, and explains that the technique took nearly twenty years to perfect. Using a play on the Italian process incalmo, which combines separate vessels to create bands of color, Lino instead fuses together two bubbles of glass: a feat requiring intense precision and a deep understanding of the material itself.

The Osaka vessels have a painterly quality. The simple form allows Lino to explore pattern and texture in the murrine. The banded design recalls traditional Japanese kimono. The horizontal stripes of Lino’s vessels recall the obi that wrap around kimono and secure them in place.