ISSUE 16
DEC/JAN
16”X 20” POSTER "The Throne" glassroots Madison, WI
pipe classic 9 Bern Gallery
shop spotlight Green Side Up $8.95 US
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Issue 16 Content
P16
Carsten Carlile
Current Photo: “Ayahuasquera” by Banjo, Joe Peters & WJC
Photograph by by Eric Weeks
Photo by Glass Otaku
Shop Spotlight: Glassroots
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Green Side Up
Madison, WI
The Boro Derby Pipe Classic 9 HB Product Reviews Spokane, WA
p.16
p.34
p.50
p.54
p.62
Making glass blowing a viable lifelong career
Supporting and promoting American made functional glass art
Proudly presented by The EvergreenState Project
Proudly presented by Glass Torch Technologies and Formula 420
Hot or not? Sample the goods with Dankman! .
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16
CHAMPS: Glass Games
p.64 The three event Wild Card Challenge
Hello, My Name is... Part III p.66
Back by popular demand. Readers’ Choice Edition!
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54
64
Studio Spotlight: Banjo p.70
HB sits down with the “Banjo Studio” Crew: Banjo and his assistant Tyson Peltzer
Sagan In Space p.78
An interstellar planetary journey for the record books
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88
92
Dellene Peralta p.84
Q&A with Hotbreath’s featured Piper
Dinah & Patty Hulet
p.88 Q&A with Hotbreath’s featured Murrine Makers
Amber Cottril p.92 “TheThrone”
Banjo, Clinton, Darby & Scott Deppe
ISSUE16 P
O
S
T
E
R
Q&A with Hotbreath’s featured Marble Mker
On the Cover...
“La Reina del Lagarto” The work of Banjo and Elbo Photography by ARey Photography
“The Throne” The work of Banjo, Clinton, Darby & Scott Deppe As seen at Illuzion Glass Gallery
ISSUE 16
16”X 20” POSTER "The Throne" glassroots Madison, WI
pipe classic 9 Bern Gallery
shop spotlight Green Side Up
Photography by ARey Photography $8.95 US
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DEC/JAN
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HOTBREATHMAGAZINE.COM advertising@hotbreathmagazine.com 800.375.2005
CREDITS/CONTACTS
Current Photo: AKM Photo by TOTO
PUBLISHER Brady D.
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SALES
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Kevin Dankman Kevin@HotBreathMagazine.com Ilma
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ART Ty Lookwell Dash Carlisle
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ISSUE 16 CONTRIBUTORS
CONTACT US! 1.800.375.2005 4216 S Mooney Blvd #167 Visalia, CA 93277
Photography
ARey Photography Glass Otaku Jamie Zill Glass Photography Kevin Dankman Kinder Cannon Mike Melone Phoebe Guenzel TOTO Wind Home
Writing ARey Photography Dash Carlisle Kevin Dankman Liam Stegman Terasina Bonanini Waldo
ALL ADVERTISING IN HOTBREATH MAGAZINE IS PAID FOR BY THE ADVERTISER AND VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN ADS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THAT OF HB PUBLISHING LLC. FURTHER, EDITORIAL OPINIONS AND VIEWS EXPRESSED IN HOTBREATH MAGAZINE ARE THOSE OF THE RESPECTIVE WRITERS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF HB PUBLISHING LLC. HB PUBLISHING LLC. DOES NOT GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY THAT ANY OF THE STATEMENTS MADE IN ANY ADVERTISEMENT OR EDITORIAL IN HOTBREATH MAGAZINE IS IN FACT ACCURATE OR TO BE RELIED UPON.
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HotBreath Shop Spotlight
Green Side Up Boston, MA • Providence, RI • Boulder, CO
Interview with Waldo Photography by Phoebe Guenzel
Green Side Up Gallery has experienced significant growth, opening multiple stores throughout the continental US. Tell us the story of GSU.
Steve Harrington
In the short, GSU is the illegitimate child of a glassblower, a security guard and a redneck. We were birthed in a suburban on the highway outside Nashville, Tn. traveling from festival to festival for the fifth year. We had been getting so much attention it was time for a name. We finished out the summer on the road and returned back to Boulder. Motivated and encouraged I started bringing other artists into the studio to make my products and increase production, finding and only bringing in those with similar dreams of making glass blowing a viable lifelong career. We began selling other artists work alongside ours. By the next summer we were armed with stickers and a plan. It was simple-we were gonna stock pile glass and cash...and after the festival season we would head back to where our country began, Boston. Where our founding fathers started the revolution, we would start our own. We were going to build a glass gallery that only sold glass, seemingly a far fetched idea at the time. It wasn’t going to be a smoke shop, or a head shop but a place that could represent the true expressions of pipe makers and glass artists alike. By Oct of 2009 we had a spot, we were ghetto rich, and a fellow dreamer willing to relocate to run day to day operations on the east coast. We were open before we even knew what was going on. Five years later, a seven month court case that almost sank our ship and a team of people who believe in us. This is where we are at. Pipes are our artistic expression. A right; given to us by the constitution and our saving grace in our court battle... It’s really
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been a pipe dream come true. We are a team of young, motivated, dreamers with a common goal. We are the guys, girls, and children of Green Side Up. We are a family and we wont give up on our goals and dreams.
GSU proudly specializes in glass art made in the USA. Which glass blowing studios do you work with? Who are your favorite independent artists? We currently carry lots of American made glass but we are starting to source from independant international artists as well. We love and respect all the artists we work with.... Dina Kallahar is a true favorite and just the most talented versatile glass artist out there. Big-Z and the whole Fort Collins, co. crew, Worm, Steve Bates and 603 glass (Joe Forestall), Mr. Grey, Sable Haze, Brandon P., the Everdream guys and Austin Flame Works, every time they put glass out there it seems to be inspirational to the industry. Hamm has been a favorite and a game changer, Jon Kubuki, Scott Deppe, there isn’t enough room in your magazine to list them all. Fishbowl Glass, Bishop Randal has been a true friend and inspiration, Jerry Kelly sold me my first piece when I was just a young buck.... Kevin O’Grady, Skye and Teresa Perry, Berzzerker, Galactic-T, Josh Sable, Bob Snodgrass, Huffy Glass, Jesse Taj, JBD, James Yaun, Darby, Kevin Nail, Alex Vicknair, Jess James, Eric Ross and the whole 4.0 crew. We carry all the artists glass we love, the list is constantly expanding. Ranging from the galleries and the personal collections we are full blown addicts, we cant get enough. We typically source from small studios and independent artists rather then large wholesale companies, but we continue to expand bringing in all types of new products. However, we stand strong as a gallery and try to separate ourselves from the everyday typical smoke shop.
Let’s talk style and geography. Coast to coast, do you see major stylistic differences between the best-selling 20
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Zii
Kevin Nail
Dina Kalahar
Dina Kalahar
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types of glass art?
C-DOT
We started in Boulder, co. a decade ago. GSU became official five years ago in October, and continue to operate our main studio from there as the epicenter of operations. New products, new ideas, and the technology is constantly evolving, things are moving so fast. Colorado has been at the cutting edge of the borosilicate game since the beginning. Out west it seems to have moved to the scientific style pieces, focusing mostly on concentrate rigs, lathe work and other forms of concentrate apparatus. That was slow moving back east but has since taken off. An explosion in sculpted work and a take on counter culture graphics and images. Honey combs, with the influence of social media over the past couple years all types of glass is selling... The market is wide open and the demand is there. New collectors are emergeing from all over the world. Early artists and collectors can see the different styles and influences that come from certain areas around the country. Boulder has its style, Fort Collins, Maine, Bellingham, Wa. and the north west, the Michigan crew, early San Diego like 2000 and earlier the Chris Dawson camp... No matter where you’re located unique quality glass from a respectable source sells itself.
Do you get many requests for custom blown glass art? Take us through that process... We ended that disaster a while ago. Basically the process goes, “I want a red, blue, rasta, something that looks like that. With my name, Steve, in it.”
Jack Roberts
All said and done one of us ends up making an italian flag looking piece, twice because it broke the first time, or whatever with some soccer players number on it.. And then the.... “thats not exactly what I was looking for..” We go out of our way to pass the jobs on to other artists, even repairs. We do very select custom pieces. Mostly gifts for special people, family, friends, jokes, businesses, unique requests, that type of thing. If the circumstances are right, we
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will make anything inside our capabilities for anyone. We have a production line we put custom logos or names on. They have had great marketing return for customers... We support a group called No Contracts Needed a long running battle of the bands in the north east. They approached us, and we proudly custom make awards for the winning bands.
The GSU store in Providence, RI is conveniently located underneath a Ben and Jerry’s. If you could assemble a dream team of neighboring businesses who would be on the roster? Danny Camp & Mr. Gray
Kevin Clark
Bars and strip clubs!! Just kidding. The Ben and Jerrys folks have been great neighbors, the famous Great Scott Rock Club in Boston have been wonderful to us as well. Emerald City in Boulder has been more then lenient. We love thy neighbor and its important to us to be involved with all of the surrounding businesses and within our community.... I guess we never really have thought about it. Maybe we could be added to the vendor stalls on Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia.
Tell us about some of the GSU events, sponsorships, promotions and celebrations. When we opened the gallery in Boston we knew we had to find and create a scene, and any opportunity to enjoy ourselves. We started annual 420 events and 710 celebrations, booked local bands and reached out to other local artists of all types. Spiritual Rez, the birth of Viva La Hop from one of our parties, Cats Under the Stars, Viral sound, young musicians and famous people alike have come to be a part of our events. We had the Green Side Up all-stars, compromised of local and national known musicians this past 710, it was an epic day. We offer discounts with can foods, work with the Providence Animal Rescue League, donate pieces for various charity auctions and we always support the ever changing medical marijuana laws and advocates. We support Students for Sensible Drug Policy (S.S.D.I.P.), Mass Can, N.O.R.M.L., the Boston Freedom Rally,
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John Madden
Harry Boston
W.E.M.F., a Boston based independant radio station. Local craft fairs and farmers markets, numerous festivals around the country. We have sponsored Glass Roots art shows for several years. The list goes on and on. We do what we can for what we believe in, spreading the love of glass everywhere we can. We have looked to develop a community of individuals and free thinkers, those are the ones we associate with. Those who show passion and dedication, that is something to be said. Its important to us to be involved in our community. These things are what make being in business worthwhile to us.
It’s fantastic to see that GSU supports all types of artistic expression. How did GSU get involved with sponsoring Project Blue Book performs Pink Floyd’s: The Wall - A full album performance? That was sick! We drove the guys to all their shows and promoted for them. Held down the merch booth. We love music, we travel for it, and its shaped our lives to who we are... We are fortunate to be near some world-renowned music schools and art schools. We see some young, highly talented, artistic individuals in all art forms and we are a part of that. We sponsor bands, promote gallery openings and help in any way we can, and everyone helps us. We understand the come up and what it takes, and have developed a reputation for our love of music.
Who are some of GSU’s favorite visual artists (graffiti, illustration, apparel, sculpture etc) outside of the glass world? We have so many.... Jumbi has been our good friend since we were traveling the festival circuits. K- Donz a Boston local, you can find his tags and art all over Boston and Providence. Of course our in house art director, Ultimate has a unique style and came on board since the beginning of the galleries. Dave Drenon, Trips prints, Felix Sticker, our boys at Lazer Guided Visions, Chuck U, Grassroots California have pushed a new scene of apparel and hooked us with our very own flat brims. We were graced with custom art for our 4/20 events
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Salt & Micro
by the famous Joey Mars! Sculptural artist Zoey Friend has some amazing pieces in our Providence gallery. Puzzle Dust has made us many custom pieces.. We are lucky to have embedded ourselves in the heart of art schools, Mass Fine Art Academy and R.I.S.D. are just down the street. So many young artisans without an outlet to show or sell their work. We provide that platform for them, and in return we have an insane collection of art other then glass. Our good friend and coconspirator on some in house murals, Adam O’Day just won Boston Magazines “portrait of a city” competition. The in house collection of paintings, prints, custom GSU work that artists have given us, is off the charts. We have had a two year ongoing mural project, that spotlights every artist thats ever had a showing in providence. We are about thirty artists away from completion.... Coelette Aimee, Aprile Rose, mixed media artist and musician Max Levy... We can go on for days. GSU is a gallery!! We don’t carry B.S., if you want some detox go to your local smoke shop we are happy to give you directions.
The GSU website features tons of great content including an interview with glassblower Karl Termini of Termini Tubes. Are there plans to include more artist interviews? One of our main values at GSU is to educate others on boro and the glass arts. We want to help set precedent, let people know about where their pieces come from and the story behind them and how important that story is to the value of the art a collector or the first time buyers is purchasing.. It is important to us. It is important to others. We are glassblower owned and artist operated. So we feel we have to represent others how we would like to be represented. There is little documentation about pipe makers and boro artists available. We have been working hard on gathering content and video from artists to be able to post regularly without glitches. It also puts a spot light on a particular artist, c’mon who doesn’t love a little spotlight. But yes, look for many changes on the web starting in 2015
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Danny Camp & Mr. Gray
DO
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RE
PL #831 Spill Proof: A compact hand pipe featuring on-the-go water filtration
ENTER TO WIN the monthly swag bag VALUED AT over $275 chameleonglass.com/hotbreath To see the swag bag, enter to win and read all Contest rules & regulations please visit chameleonglass.com
100% American Made. High Quality Glass Accessories.
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facebook.com/ChameleonGlass
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Customers can shop GSU online. Is the website inventory identical to what is sold in-store? Do you have any shipping restrictions? GSU ships world wide. We do have a much larger variety available in our galleries then online. You can even find artists in one gallery and not another. We have been working on integrating our inventory for a web facelift this winter.
GSU offers a wide array of glass art to both retail and wholesale customers. What are some of the unique challenges of retail/ wholesale diversification? The challenges.... We are constantly learning and adapting. We did not get into this game or start as business men. We started in a concert parking lot hawking pieces to eat. Then we did it for our friends, and our peers. We have grown from there on up. GSU has this desire to help the little guys, the come-ups, and we offer representation and sales opportunities for them. There is the artist then there is the salesmen, sometimes we are both. Wholesale is where we began and thats where a lot of artists need help.
What’s next for GSU? GSU is going through a great deal of changes. With growth comes change. We are restructuring and reorganizing. Some remodeling and additions!!! We are starting to take our roles a little more seriously, a better organization and a motivated team to expand GSU in the next year. The GSU family has been humbled by the attention we have received, and we continue to push ourselves to reach our goals and pipe dreams.... But realistically, a new GSU has been in the works for some time. Our east coast studio is currently under construction, and changes to our website have been underway. The world is at our fingertips. We work hard, we’re dedicated, and we’re dreamers. GSU is glass blower owned and artist operated. Every day is a learning experience. We will continue to help set the standard, you can count on that.
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HUBBY’S TM
E D I B L E S
HUBBY’S TM
E D I B L E S
TM
TM
E D I B L E S
TM
HUBBY’S
E D I B L E S
TM
E D I B L E S
HUBBY’S
HUBBY’S
E D I B L E S
TM
E D I B L E S
HUBBY’S
HUBBY’S
Photography by Phoebe Guenzel Cap’N Crunk & Brandon Martin
Germ
Coyle & Micro
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Robin Hood
Freeek & Atsushi Sasaki
Eskcuche
Kind, Freeek, & Brandon Martin
Blossom
Mark Lammi & Ryan Tuerfs
Mark Lammi & Ryan Tuerfs
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Freeek & Kind
Freeek & Brandon Martin
Peter Muller & Aquarius
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Coyle
Doug Z, Niko Cray, JRoss, & Drew Kups
Jesse James
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Kind, Freeek, & Brandon Martin
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Preston
2014 PRESENTED BY THE EVERGREENSTATE PROJECT
Written by Terasina Bonanini Photography by Jamie Zill Glass Photography
T
he Evergreen State Project is a
fundraiser, glass artists made borosilicate cars
are really the bread and butter of what this
Washington based, Non Profit
to race down a Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby
Project generates. The artists truly make
Organization that brings the
track. What is additionally unique about this
it possible for this event to happen. The
community of glass enthusiasts together to
project is most of these cars are functional
Evergreen State Project auctions off the
help others. From glass suppliers to glass
pipes.
BoroDerby cars and other art pieces created
artists, and glass shops to glass collectors,
or donated to raise working capital. The
this platform unites like minded people of
This project is made of hardworking people
proceeds are then distributed to children’s
Washington State, while raising money for
trying to provide a fun event for everyone,
charities throughout the state.
its children. Talented artists from around the
where you really feel like you’re a part of the
Our current beneficiaries include, Fred
North West come together to collaborate
action. From watching the artist actually
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Agape
on art pieces through demos and other
blow the glass to the anticipation of the
Home Women and Children’s Shelter and
community projects.
races, it is a good time for everyone and for a
Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
great cause. The Project’s mission is to unite The Evergreen State Project was proud
the artistic glass community through these
The BoroDerby grows every year, this year
to present this year’s BoroDerby. At this
charitable events. Artists who participate
the Evergreen State Project expanded and
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opened admission to families, catering to children with a bounce
Crondo
house and some exceptional balloon animals. You could also watch live graffiti paintings by Joey Brooks, One Seven Nine, Carlos Aguilar & Ksra, as well as HEMP. These additional artworks were also donated and auctioned off. There was live music and Jet City provided an adult lounge. You could really enjoy yourself while watching the artists do their work. The real excitement happens when the cars race. After you watch all the time and effort that goes into these- its hard not to hold your breath when they fly down the track… and yeah some don’t make it. It’s always sad if there is a causality. This year Jared Beatty (JRed) won with the fastest car. It was a back to back win for him! Other winning cars include work by Banjo glass, Robinhood, Royal, Preston Hanna. These Glass Projects are built from members of the glass community. Who are working hard, donating their time and resources to try and give back to those in need. The EvergreenState Project is thankful to all its participants, sponsors, donors, volunteers and supporters because with out them none if it would be possible. Don’t miss next year’s BoroDerby! For ways to become part of the project please email espsponsor@gmail.com
McDoogle
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JRed
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Preston
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PIPE CLASSIC
NINE Presented by
GLASS TORCH TECHNOLOGIES & FORMULA 420 Story by
LIAM STEGMAN Photography by
TOTO
Herb C
Elbo
T
he third week in September is truly one of the most remarkable weeks of the year. It signals the end of summer and sounds the start of fall, the leaves turn, the sun shrinks, and we trade the summer steam for an autumn breeze. And for the fervent followers of the ever-expanding subculture of glass pipe-making, this may be the most sacred slice of the calendar, as for the last nine Septembers this has been the week of The Bern Gallery’s Pipe Classic. In the world of glass pipe-making The Pipe Classic has become something of a Holy Grail. It’s Burning Man meets the World Series, a Tour de France of fringe culture, all centered on the craft of functional fine art. It is a rare event in which patrons and participants, artists and appreciators, all become co-collaborators in cultivating a weeklong creative-minded community.
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A Bit of Background Between the woods and the water in northern Vermont sits the city of Burlington. A beacon of natural beauty and an incubator of innovation, Burlington is also the home of The Bern Gallery. The Classic was founded by gallery owner and veteran pipe-maker Tito Bern. It sprung from his competitive spirit, and his desire to take functional glass to the next level. “I made everything into a competition,” Tito Said. “Everything.” So it seemed only natural to combine his passions into some sort of comprehensive event. What was born was a competition that would not only pit artist against artist, but would force competitors to push the limits of their own work, all the while competing against a ticking timer. The rules are simple but strict. Artists compete in heats of three and have twelve
hours, split into two six-hour shifts, to create from scratch, the finest piece of functional art that they are able to conceive. Nothing can be pre-made, and all of the work must take place at The Bern Gallery. Each year, twelve competitors are chosen by a committee of local artists, patrons, and pipemakers. An artist’s selection has the potential to catapult his or her career to the top tier of the glass world. Names have been made at Pipe Classic, and legends have left it all on the bench. The Classic brings out the best in every artist, big name or not, and this year was no exception.
The Field Competing in The Pipe Classic is an aspiration of any functional glass artist. It’s a sign that all of the sweat, sleepless hours spent behind the torch have been for something special- Something that
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Hoobs
transcends both their efforts and their art. This year’s classic combined old names and new. Established pros and rising stars. They hail from places as close as Killington and as far afield as California, each one bringing elements and styles as diverse and unique as their personalities and places of origin. With every manner of technique and texture well represented, and the first heat of artists ready at their torches, a gong is rung, a blast rings out, and The Ninth Annual Pipe Classic is underway.
The Action The first thing I notice upon entering the Bern’s back studio is a hulking metal mechanism moving meticulously in a fixed pattern. With every swift shift it lays down a hardly visible layer of synthetic
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AKM
material. It is a 3-D printer, and a Pipe Classic first. This techie touch of mixed medium is the brainchild of Vermont’s own Matt Mclamb. It was unclear what his intentions were at first, but it was surely something the audience and I were anxiously anticipating. Alongside Mclamb, in the back booth, was Portland’s Danny Camp. What struck me first about his start was that, well, he didn’t. Instead he sat calmly beside a kiln that wouldn’t fire, behind a torch that was waiting to erupt. This too was a Pipe Classic first, a faulty kiln causing a false start. Had it not been for the generosity of Vermont artist Sam Lyons, who drove a total of six hours in the middle of the night to deliver the kiln that saved The Classic, this year’s competition might’ve ended before it began.
Soon I shifted my attention to the Gallery’s front station where I began to notice a large crowd forming. Shade-shielded stares were transfixed with the technical brilliance of J.D. Maplesden. Maplesden has enjoyed a spectacular year, traveling the country on a collaborative quest. His star is rising, and aspiring artists in attendance all clamored for a glimpse of his fume pattern technique. This scene of shared skills is yet another reason why The Pipe Classic is an event unlike any other. Being that the competition portion is free and open to the public all week long, young artists are able to learn from and observe masters at work. The Classic is as much a clinic in creativity and craft as it a competition, and that intimacy is what sets it apart.
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As the first heat drew to a close, all three artists were ahead of the closing bell. Danny Camp overcame his stalled start to finish with a sculptural panther piece that was as sleek as it was sophisticated. Matt Mclamb left himself almost two hours of cold work time to finish assembling what had become a stereoscopic two-piece set. And J.D. Maplesden shocked the audience by working outside of his wheelhouse to produce a stout sculptural elephant smoking a sherlock. Heat two got off to a smoldering start. It was obvious that all three artists had well prepared plans and were laser-locked on executing them. Herb C. started out at the saw, smashing and slicing sections of tubing into what appeared to be the tank tracks of his infamous Alien Rover Rigs. Beside him, ‘Hoobs’, who could hardly fit his hulking frame under the hood. Still he calmly blazed away assembling the start of a massive crystal skull. In the front station, Gordman was silent and stoic. He compiled piece after piece of eye-popping red tubing. These sections would soon be combined to create one of the most structurally and symmetrically striking pieces in recent Pipe Classic memory. This heat ended in dramatic fashion for at least one of the artists. As his two fellow competitors had their work finished and in the kiln, Herb C was left with mere minutes to finish the face of his “Ballerite” tank-riding alien. In a move that tested the limits of time and temperature, he worked half in and half out of the kiln to finish just before time was
Gordman
2BA
called. The gallery erupted in applause. With a smile, a sigh and a shake of his head, Herb C turned off his torch. Heat three was set to begin. Heat three offered the widest range of styles yet on display. There was the skull-centric art of Richmond’s ‘AKM’, the subtle elegance of Austin’s ‘Kind’, and finally the unorthodox, installation-inspired art of Denver’s ‘2BA’. Each artist took his signature style and pushed it to the outermost limit. At the end of the heat’s first half, all three artists were right on schedule, with little left to do but execute plans that were already well in motion. One artist, however, would soon find out that no matter how prepared one might be, trouble still lurked behind every ‘Classic’ corner. The second half of heat multiplied the drama of heat two tenfold. ‘2BA’ reserved much of his next six hours for cold working. He had myriad glass tentacles piled in front of a kiln that held a stunning Sherlock in his patented pendant style. These pieces would be combined to create a light box installation that was as beautiful as it was bad-ass. The skull rig was only the start of ‘AKM’s’ dazzling Pipe Classic performance. The Richmond native spent his next six hours constructing a skeletal styled tube that truly tested his talents. Its base was massive, some ten inches in diameter; the tube itself would stand almost two feet tall, and incorporated a recycler system in the likeness of human lungs. Once finished, this piece would be combined with the skull to complete a twopiece set that could function three ways. Up to this point the Classic had no clear favorite, but as the applause rang out with the close of ‘AKM’s’ kiln, it began to seem as though the tide was turning.
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Burtoni
“A Death in The Family” Pipe Classic is, at its core, a competition. It is a gauntlet of glassblowing, an event where anything is possible at anytime, as artists make magic out of the most fragile of mediums. That said, it should come as no surprise that some entries never make it to Saturday’s showcase, but end up in shattered pieces on the studio floor. This unfortunately, was the case for ‘Kind’. It couldn’t have happened at a later moment. With just five minutes to go, ‘Kind’ had only one final step left in the finishing of his piece, a massive rendition of his trademark faces with a pedestal foot and slew of slime tipped points. With all eyes on the back bench, ‘Kind’ reached for the kiln and a crash rang out. Halfway up from the foot the glass cracked, causing the top half to fall to the floor. Immediately people began filing out, a funeral pall fell on the gallery. No one said a word. I too followed the crowd outside and found former Pipe Classic Champion and Vermont native ‘Hickory’ among the mournful throng.
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“What does a former Champ have to say about that?” I asked. With a rub of his brow and a shake of his head, he smiled and said, “There’s been a death in the family.” I couldn’t have put it better myself. For one week in September, the artists and spectators are in essence, a family. Their finished work, the fruits of a week-long labor of love, and here we all had to witness the tragedy that can manifest in one glasssmashing instant. One heat still remained, the Gallery began to bubble with excitement and the crowd began to spill out in the street. With unbridled calm, ‘Burtoni’ tinkered away in his trademark pallet of colors, constructing a two-piece set of Phoenix birds with rainbow feathers. He bantered with the crowd and bobbed along to the an inaudible beat. The defending champ was poised to make another title run and the crowd was taking notice. In the back booth, however, another “Champ” was being born.
Philadelphia’s ‘Elbo’ is best known for his cartoonish dinosaur work. These pieces are a combination of skill and savvy that have garnered him wide praise and mass appeal. Burlington is known, among other things, as the home of ‘Champ’ The Lake Monster, a Loch Ness-esque creature that haunts the deep waters of Lake Champlain. The conscious artist that he is, ‘Elbo’ seized on this local tall tale and set out to produce a three piece rendering of ‘Champ’ complete with the most spectacular set of teeth I’ve seen since ‘SALT’s’ last Classic appearance. ‘BMFT’, the youngest artist in the field, overcame the anxiety of competing alongside his idols and zeroed in on his work. Only stopping for the occasional smoke break, he calmly and deftly produced a piece that reflected both his recent work and his aspiration to climb the ladder of the pipe-making elite. Unlike the previous day’s heat all three pieces made it safely into the kiln, and with one final sledge-hammered bash of the gong, Pipe Classic Nine was history.
“Torches Off“ The fans turned out in record number, the competitors pushed their art to the maximum of the medium, and the legend of Pipe Classic grew even larger. A.K.M took the top prize, with J.D. Maplesden and Gordman finishing 2nd and 3rd. As The Bern Gallery emptied out for the last time, Saturday’s sunset cast fillacellos of fuchsias and reds across the autumn sky, a peaceful end to a wild week. Staring down Main St. across a blue lake at purple mountains, I began to look forward to next year, and wondered how in the world The Pipe Classic would celebrate its tenth birthday.
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Danny
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BMFT
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HotBreath
Product Reviews
by Kevin Dankman
evak vacuumed sealed jars
The second item I reviewed was the new Evak vacuum sealed jars. I first saw these in their primitive pre-production samples; even at that point, I was impressed. Almost 3 years later Ed and his team at Pollen Designs have won multiple awards in the food storage and kitchenware industry and are now ready to serve the needs of our unique industry. This thing is so slick, a simple pull or push of the vacuum plunger top and its open or sealed for freshness. It is a simple sealing mechanism for such an elegantly designed product.
I sat down to do my reviews of 3 very interesting and functional accessories. The first one I will review is not a truly “new” product, but it is a good product many people use. The Packaging reminded me of Christmas past, It was bright, attractive and boxed as if it were a classic 1990s toy.
newport “Honey Bee” torch
One of the best things about these sweet jars is that they are made of boro, yeah that’s right COE33 Jars with vacuum seal tops. I have already contacted a couple friends to make some custom jars. This also means that it is a bit more durable than the traditional glass jar. It is so hard to find anything flawed in this one. The box is stunning and well designed, matching the very modern yet functional styling of the plunger handle and product itself. All three sizes that are currently available will look great on any shelf. Evak has recently made Vape World their exclusive distributor in the US smoke market, so they can be purchased through them at: www.Vapeworld.com
Newport Butanes “Honey Bee” Torch was up first. I was slightly skeptical of this one because of its cute Honey Nut Cheerio Bee shaped body. But I went ahead and filled it with Newport brand Butane and started using it right away.
It has a strong piezo electric igniter inside that worked from the first light and has performed well for a solid month of heavy use. The flame is pretty consistent and hotter than my Newport can top torch. The barrel that the flame comes out of has a nice flair and doesn’t seem to overheat while in use with larger heating surfaces, although the flame does shrink a little as the torch heats a bit. With any torch of this kind when the outflow valves heat up they constrict the amount of gas released to supply the robust flame. I would say that this one was above par for its flame retention. One added attribute that I was not expecting was the overall stability of the Bee Base, it has a nice three-point stability formula that truly helps keep it upright. It just so happens to be the exact right height for my Gemini Andy Omni Rig. I can simply light it and position the Joel Halen Honey Hole dome-less right in front of the flame. These are available from Newport Butane at: www.newportbutane.com
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easy butter maker
The last thing I set up to review for this issue is the Easy Butter Maker. By far the most fun thing to test out! I acquired all the necessary items to put this bad boy into use and began my adventure in butter making. The well-decorated and clearly written instructions make this box a super star. With an easy to read diagram and step-by-step instructions it would be difficult to fail with this ingenious product. Unbelievable, but true as it says perfectly prepared medicated, “butter in 10 minutes!� I cannot say enough about this stovetop miracle. The stainless steel construction made it the easiest thing to clean after use. The next time your harvest trimmings are ready to process for your winter treats, I would highly suggest you invest in one of these. Every smoke shop in America should be carrying it. You can reach the great folks at Easy Butter Maker on the web at: www. easybutterco.com
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glass games
Wild card challenge
Photography by Mike Melone
goblet grab
1st. AKM 2nd. Burtoni 3rd. Kalahar
HEADY HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE
1st. Wischtger 2nd. Carr 3rd. Ewok
MARBLE MAYHEM
1st. Eusheen 2nd. Kimmo 3rd. Test One
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Hello,
My Name is... Part III The Stories Behind Band Names Eurhythmics
311
Sweet dreams are made of this!
If you have never experienced the
exposure is 311, pronounced digit-by-
Founding members Annie Lennox
sheer bliss of taking a dip in your
digit as “three one one”. Sometimes
and David Stewart first performed
birthday suit you are missing out
bad decisions make for good stories
together in the band The Tourists.
on one of life’s simplest pleasures.
and in this case P-Nut turned lemons
When that band split in 1980, Lennox
While splashing around in the buff
into lemonade adopting the police
and Stewart formed Eurhythmics.
is exhilarating, just make sure that
code as his new band name.
They chose the name Eurhythmics
you are not trespassing or exposing
based on the pedagogical exercise
yourself to less-than-enthusiastic
system that Lennox experienced
strangers. If your skinny dipping
as a young music student. In the
adventures piss off the wrong people
early 20th century Swiss musician
your naked fun times will come to
and teacher Emile Jaques-Dalcroze
a screeching halt...
developed the Dalcroze Eurhythmics
especially if
system to teach musical concepts
someone calls
such as rhythm, structure and music
the police.
expression using movement. The
311 bassist
eurhythmics method of musical
P-Nut learned
training focuses on kinesthetic
this lesson the hard
physical awareness while encouraging
way when police were
acute attention to all of the senses. By
notified of a disturbance
teaching musical concepts through
at a public pool. P-Nut
movement (before learning how to
and his friends were
read music) the student is able to
apprehended by the
build a solid rhythmic foundation
Omaha authorities
while enhancing musical expression
and issued a
and comprehension. Perhaps Annie
citation for
Lennox’s music education was
indecent exposure.
responsible for her soulful vocal
The police code
juxtaposition to the electronic sounds
for indecent
of Eurythmics.
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Childish Gambino Unless you have been living in a cave you have probably figured out how to generate your pornography name. If you have no idea what I’m talking about it goes something like this (there are variations out there but this method never fails): Your first name is the name of your first pet and your last name is your childhood street address (street name only). Try it out, it’s hilarious! But what if you want to discover your rap star name? Wu-Tang Clan has got the solution! When actor, writer, comedian, and rapper Donald Glover (30 Rock, Community, Robot Chicken) needed a stage name for his rap project he came across the notoriously awesome Wu-Tang name generator. Donald plugged his name into the Wu-Tang
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generator and was blessed with the
credit should also be given to the
moniker Childish Gambino. The
eager Fall Out Boy audience member
name stuck and Childish Gambino
who suggested that the band adopt
became a “real” Wu warrior joining
the Simpsons characters’ name. Let
the likes of Ghostface Killah,
me explain. The band known as Fall
Inspectah Deck, Method Man, RZA,
Out Boy actually performed without
GZA, Raekwon, the late Ol’ Dirty
a band name for their first couple
Bastard and the other Staten Island,
of gigs. At the end of their second
New York clan members. Ooooh
show the nameless pop punk group
baby, do you like it raaaaawwwwww?
asked the audience to scream out
Who could resist the opportunity to
band name suggestions. Someone
learn their true Wu-Tang identity?
yelled the name Fallout Boy, a
Search the internet for “Wu-Tang
reference to the somewhat obscure
name generator”. Try it for yourself
Simpsons character. Simpson fanatics
and enter the Wu-Tang!
probably recall that Fallout Boy is
Fall Out Boy
the superhero sidekick to billionaire playboy Claude Kane (Radioactive
You can thank Matt Groening
Man). The young band loved the
(creator of The Simpsons, Life In
name suggestion and in an effort to
Hell, Futurama) for the name of this
avoid a lawsuit changed their name to
pop punk group. To be fair, partial
Fall Out Boy.
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REO Speedwagon “Take it on run, baby! If that’s the way you want it, baby! Then I don’t want you around.” The roots of this power ballad rock group are shrouded in academia. Founding member Neal Doughty was an electrical engineering student at the University of Illinois when his young band began to take shape. Drawing inspiration from a class on transportation history Doughty suggested the band
Grateful Dead
Guns N’ Roses
name REO Speedwagon, a direct
Jerry Garcia suggested the band name
The initial lineup of Guns N’ Roses
reference to the flatbed truck of the
the Grateful Dead while flipping
did not include Slash. That’s right,
same name. The REO Motor Car
through the Funk & Wagnalls Folklore
the band’s first lead guitar player was
Company, owned by Ransom E.
Dictionary. The Garcia biography,
none other than Tracii Guns. Rock
Olds, introduced the revolutionary
Captain Trips reports that the band
fans are perhaps most familiar with
truck design in 1915. Despite the
was smoking DMT during the fateful
Tracii’s bands L.A Guns, Brides
clean design of the REO trucks they
game of dictionary. While the term
of Destruction and Contraband.
were largely utilitarian often used as
grateful dead does sound like a perfect
Axl Rose was the initial lead singer
fire trucks, hearses, ambulances, tow
band name perhaps it was hearing the
for L.A. Guns but left the group to
and dump trucks.
definition (while high on DMT) that
form his own band Hollywood Rose
convinced the young band that they
(sometimes referred to as AXL).
had found their name. The folktale
Hollywood Rose, aka AXL led
Back in the 1950s it was rather
of grateful dead (or grateful ghost)
William Bruce Rose Jr. to change his
common to see the suffix “-tones”
is a global and transcultural story in
legal name to Axl Rose (an anagram
used in popular band names.
which a traveler comes into contact
of oral sex). In 1985 Tracii and Axl
Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, The
with an unburied corpse. The corpse
merged L.A. Guns and Hollywood
Quin-Tones, The Monotones, The
tells the traveler that they could not
Rose to form a new group called
Cleftones, The Harptones...you get
afford a proper burial due to unpaid
Guns N’ Roses. Tracii and fellow L.A.
the idea. Deftones co-founder and
debt. The philanthropic traveler pays
Guns bandmates soon left the Guns
lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter
the corpse’s debt and/or pays for the
N’ Roses lineup and were replaced
wanted a band name that reflected
burial...scoring major karma points.
by Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven
his band’s affinity for drawing from
Returning the good deed the newly
Adler.
multiple musical styles. Stephen chose
buried soul watches over the traveler
to incorporate the hip-hop slang term
like a guardian angel.
Deftones
“def ” (adj. to describe a person, thing, or event that is cool) as the band name prefix, giving birth to the band we all know as Deftones.
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List of band name etymologies (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_ of_band_name_etymologies&oldid=616607743), by Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)/ Remixed and built upon from the original
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Where the Industr y Meets to do Business
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For current show information: www.tobaccoplusconvenienceexpo.com
HotBreath Studio Spotlight Interview and photography by ARey Photography Glass Works as seen at Illuzion Glass Gallery Current Piece: “The Throne� by Banjo, Clinton, Darby, Scott Deppe
banjo
I
am one of seven siblings. I can relate to the complexities and comforting unity of a big family. The pressures of supporting a family of that size must have been taxing
for my father. Back then the cost of living was much less than that of today. Glass artist/pipemaker Banjo, father of six, is a rare breed in the functional glass community. His career, spanning 15 years, represents the interesting dynamic of being a dedicated glass artist and devoted family provider. After attending the 1st Annual Humboldt Harvest Glass Gathering back in October I had the opportunity to visit him and his family. Nestled in the Redwoods just north of Arcata, California is a two-story house, a studio workshop, and enough open space to entertain any number of energetic and adventurous children. I could see how this artist could immerse himself into a project and devote countless hours to creating masterpieces. With the recent Habatat shows in Florida highlighting the glass counter culture surge into the mainstream art scene, Banjo is one of an elite group taking charge of an art movement that can no longer be ignored. Banjo will be a featured artist in Contemporary Pipemaking: A Showcase of True Underground American Art, exhibiting from December 4-7, 2014 at Habatat Galleries during Art Basel Miami.
Banjo & Elbo
Considering that most people in the glass blowing community know who you are, when and how did you first become interested in making glass art? How much did you sell your first heady piece for?
The first glass pipes I ever remember seeing were in a headshop called “Stairway to Heaven” in Ann Arbor, Michigan around 1995. I was in college- maybe 18 or 19 years old and I remember being impressed with the craftsmanship. (Somebody- probably a neon sign maker) - was bending a long piece of thin wall tubing in a corkscrew shape with the tube then penetrating back through the corkscrew and ending with a small steamroller bowl. A college friend bought one and named it “Laverne” and we all were basically in love with it as we had only been aware of brass pipes and acrylic graphix bongs up to that point. It was a couple years later after dropping out of college and hitting the west coast hippie trail that I started seeing color-changing pipes. I noticed that the people who had these pipes also cherished them deeply, keeping them in ornately-decorated, handmade pouches and treating them with a great deal of respect. I remember around this time seeing a dragon double bubbler in Ashland Oregon that I later surmised was made by Marcel Braun. That really opened my eyes to the possibility of glass pipes being an art form. The first time I saw somebody actually blowing glass was out in the middle of the woods at the Shawnee Regional Rainbow gathering in southern Illinois in 1998. In 1999, when my first daughter was 6 months old, I began a twomonth “apprenticeship” with a 15-year-old high
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school dropout named Levi Beard. I paid his oxygen and in return he showed me what he had learned during his time working with Marcel and Jlee. (Inside out flares, how to push a bowl, butt seals, implosion marbles, etc.). I really owe Levi the hugest debt of gratitude for teaching me how to blow glass. I think I sold my first headpiece for about 10 dollars. I never really learned production so from day one, I always considered every piece I made to be “heady” even if they were horrendous. I still operate from that perspective. What kind of challenges does making a living in this profession present?
For me, the most obvious challenge is probably inherent to any career where you get to be your own boss. The workday never really ends. Often, when I step out of the shop for the day, my mind is still pretty wrapped up in the piece I am working on so learning to be present and available for my family has sometimes been a tough one. While I can say that this relentless dedication to my craft has resulted in plenty of achievements I can be very proud of, it has also introduced me to a fair share of difficult emotional terrain. Call me a wook, but my energy healer lady says there is a “deva” or spirit that represents my glasswork and it has been my habit to give “her” waaaaay too much of my attention. I suppose a western psychotherapist would say I’m “obsessive-compulsive” or “hyper-focused”, but I like the sound of the “deva” thing a lot better. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that most pipemakers tend to
anthropomorphize the medium of glass to some extent, whether they get all new agey about it (as I shamelessly choose to do), or whether they just jokingly refer to the “glass gods” as some force that must be reckoned with. Either way, I blame this force for making the first decade of my career a real motherfucker for my family. All I thought about, day in and day out was glass. I guess it was one thing I found that I could exert some degree of control over and admittedly, that wasn’t always healthy. I know I’m not alone in this; it seems pretty common among most highly motivated pipemakers I’ve known. I am very grateful to be blessed with a supportive wife and without her I would have probably gone insane a long time ago. She has been a serious badass in dealing with all this glass shit and with her help (and insistence) I have been doing a much better job getting ahold of my workaholic tendencies in recent years. Nowadays, I’m getting pretty good at putting the glass down when I leave the shop. What kinds of rewards have there been?
Thankfully, the rewards are wide-ranging and far more numerous than whatever challenges this path has presented. I believe that at the core of every one of us lies an unstoppable urge to manipulate and arrange things in both our inner reality and our external environment. We achieve this in myriad ways, whether it be through music, art, playing games, working business deals or even arranging boxes at the local Wal-Mart distribution center. The
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“La Reina del Lagarto” Banjo & Elbo
immutable tendency to solve problems creatively is innate to our species. To make my living as an artist, feeding my family while at the same time nurturing this creative core within myself is by far the biggest reward I can think of. It’s sad, but people who are unable to honor this creative aspect within them, at least to some degree, wind up pretty miserable. With that said, I find that inspiring fellow artists to discover and develop these creative inklings within themselves has always been very rewarding, and seems to satisfy my desire to make the world a better place. Being part of this community, constantly meeting an interesting and diverse array of people, and developing friendships and working relationships with them is a constant source of satisfaction. At this moment, I’m sitting with my family in a beautiful mountain vacation rental, looking out over Evergreen, Colorado. In the next few weeks, I’ll be collaborating here at studio Everdream with a group of insanely talented artists including Elbo, Quave, Joe Peters, WJC, Eusheen, Nate Miers, Tyson Peltzer, and Lyons glass in preparation for a show in Miami, Florida during Art Basel. It’s hard to imagine what other career I might have chosen that would have me enjoying the company
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and working with such a wily assortment of fun-loving characters, all hailing from different backgrounds and locations around the country. All this with no strict schedule or asshole boss to worry about pleasing! Whenever I’m lucky enough to step back from my work and recognize the bigger picture of my life, I see that it is a very charmed life indeed, filled with innumerable blessings and wonderful opportunities. I always like to quote my great friend and fellow artist, Chaz Pyle who once said, “There is no end to a good thing.” What is it like living in the Pacific Northwest?
Well, the weather is always perfect for blowing glass. It’s rarely too hot or too cold. Options for eating healthy organic food are basically becoming the norm and there are tons of hippies, some in disguise, some in denial, and some as flagrant as can be. It’s very friendly territory for open-minded artsy folk. Even the rednecks are eerie and fairly progressive around here. What are your influences (in no particular order)?
Legos, Bluegrass, my family, Alex Grey, robots, my mom, Allis Chalmers farm tractors, Lucio
Bubacco, Barbara Brennan, H.R. Giger, Syd Mead, Pushead, Randy Rhoads, Star Wars, Earl Scruggs, all manner of psychedelia, Wook stuff, my dad, banjos and guitars, old machinery. Could you lead me through your creative process?
I typically start with an image that I have in mind and then try to imagine a way for air to travel through it, while keeping the volume of the vessels to an absolute minimum. Sometimes if it’s tricky, I’ll draw it out on paper so I can better visualize what in the piece needs to be hollow. For the most part, I prefer to construct everything out of solid components whenever possible, only involving hollow vessel work when absolutely necessary. Knowing your work ethic of spending countless hours in the studio creating masterpieces, what do you enjoy doing away from the grind?
Playing music is a big one. I play banjo and guitar and my wife plays mandolin. Hanging out with my large and unruly gang of feral indigo children occupies quite a bit of my day. The last couple of years I’ve been doing a huge amount of meditating, sometimes
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for a couple hours a day. It’s helped me to reel back in a lot of the energy I’ve given to the aforementioned boro deva. As part of an elite group of popular glass artists that have paved the way for others, how do you think you’ve influenced the next generation of artists?
When I teach classes, people always remark that they didn’t realize how much time and work goes into stuff. They tell me that seeing a complex process broken down into several simple steps helps them to look at their own methods in a new light. It’s funny; some artists are directly influenced by my visual aesthetic and methods for creating things while others make it a point to avoid what I’m doing completely in an attempt to carve out their own niche. Either way, I guess my influence is there. I like to think I provide inspiration for people to live a creative life. I had a list of artists whose work I admired when I started - Clinton, Darby, Marcel, Jlee, Pedro, Ezra, Chris Dawson, Jamin Diaz, and my teacher Levi Beard, just to name a few... Seeing these guys making such beautiful pieces and living life on their own terms was a huge inspiration for me and I’m not too humble to say I know I do the same for the next generation. I try to show that with passion and dedication, amazing things can happen. What kind of intensity flows when you’re doing collaborations?
Collaborations have always been a great excuse to get together with friends and contemporaries and basically have a party while actually having something to show for it the next day. In the early part of my career, I did a lot of
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collaborating with my good friends Firefly, Daniel Leo, Shad, Chaz, Drew, and Mike Fro. Our styles evolved together and were very similar, so working together basically allowed us to produce a shitload of work in a very short time. In recent years I’ve been drawn to mix it up with artists who possess very different skills and aesthetic sensibilities from my own, so our collaborations produce works that would be very difficult for any of us to create by ourselves. Regarding the intensity that can flow, usually there is an inherent time limit because somebody always has to catch a plane.... This is often a blessing in disguise because it forces us to really push through the piece with an exceptional amount of drive. With little time to second-guess creative decisions, the creative spontaneity often functions at a much higher level than would be typical on a solo piece. I consider glass collaborations to be very analogous to making music. All the members of the band play different instruments, the bass, the lead, the rhythm, the vocals, etc…. With glass, everybody’s unique sculpting and patterning techniques come together in a similarly harmonious way. On another note, working closely with fellow artists in the glass shop for a few days is a terrific way to get to know one another.
In a sense, the notion that pipemaking is gaining ground in the wider art market is speculative at this point in time. While the fact that an established fine art gallery such as Habatat has chosen to present our work in a recent show does indicate that the tides might be turning, it’s anybody’s guess how long it will take before we enjoy widespread acceptance in popular culture. Pipemaking is a lifestyle where there is a strong personal connection between the makers and the fans. Nobody had to sell the idea that pipes are beautiful and attractive in order for this market to have developed. The work and energy that goes into the pieces does the marketing for us. As with many fringe movements that have preceded us, it is natural that mainstream interests are beginning to take notice of what we’re up to and that’s not going to change or slow down. I am stoked that I got to experience pipe art from a pretty early point in its history, first as a fan and collector, and then as an artist. That’s how it always goes and I’m very enthusiastic about the opportunities that might come from the widening appeal of this not-so-underground-anymore phenomenon.
Many of my favorite pieces have been made with friends. I find the idea of glass being the initial unifying factor in these friendships to be very cool. Describe the transitional period that contemporary pipemaking is going through in becoming the true underground American art?
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GreenLeaf Magazine
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3/24/14 9:56 PM
Photos by Jamie Zill Glass Photography
These are the voyages of the Sagan Moon Pendant. The 3 hour mission; to seek new vantage points and to boldly go where no glass pendant has gone before! Kevin Sagan recently sent some glass into space with a GoPro camera attached to a high altitude weather balloon which reached an altitude of 21.4 miles into the atmosphere! altitude reached : 113,016 feet (21.4 miles) landed 100 miles from where we launched. in the air for 2 hours 21 minutes.
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Dellene Peralta piper artist
Age: 39 Location: Eugene, OR Photography by Wind Home
How long have you been Lampworking? 18 years
When did you make your first pipe? 1996
What kind of pipe was your first? A corn cob style pipe, sliver fume and millis.
What is your signature style? Where did you learn this? My style tends to move in and out of dimensional realms of emotion and feeling. I love conceptual pieces, pieces that make you think. I am learning something new everyday. I learn from the plants, the bugs, the humans, the sky, the infinite universe. All of the above.
What type of torch do you use and why?
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I use a Delta GTT. I would love a Herbert Arnold. Having both torches is very nice. Many ranges in flames.
Who is your favorite pipe maker? There are so many very unique and talented pipe makers out there it is hard to really say.
What inspires you most? My son Zion. He has a very creative mind.
Being a woman in a very male dominated industry, what to you attribute your success to? Having the will and determination to make better work. not being afraid of failure. Winning many flame offs has definitely helped. It is not an easy road for women in the pipe world. It sure is a boys club out there.
What’s next for you? Do you have any gallery showings; projects in the works or collabs the readers would want to know about? I don’t have anything planned as of right now.
If the readers were to visit your shop, what music would they hear you working to? dub step, joe rogan pod cast...
If you could tell inspiring Marble makers anything, what would it be? Make sure it’s round!
Where can you be reached to purchase your glass? Facebook or @delleneperalta
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Dinah & Patty Hulet
murrine artists
How long have you been Lampworking? Dinah: 44 years Patty: 29 years
Do you make Milli or Murrine? Dinah & Patty: Murrine
When did you make your first Murrine? Dinah:1988 Patty: 2012
What kind of image was your first? Dinah: Simple patterns and faces in soft glass Patty: Simple geometrics in boro
HB: What is your signature style? Where did you learn this? Dinah: Soft glass portraits & Boro Geometrics Patty: Boro Geometrics Dinah is an autodidact (with help from Giovanni Sarpellon) and Patty learned from Dinah.
What type of torch do you use and why? Dinah & Patty: We work with Bethlehem Burners (PM2D) for the boro and Carlisles (CC) that we have used "forever" for soft glass. Because they are dependable and work for us.
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Who is your favorite Milli/Murrine maker? Dinah & Patty: Richard Marquis & Richard Ritter
What inspires you most? Dinah & Patty: Life experiences.
Have you ever made functional glass art pieces including your Murrine? Dinah & Patty: No
If the readers were to visit your shop, what music would they hear you working to?
What is next for Patty and the crew at Hulet Glass? Do you have any projects, gallery shows or collaborations coming soon the readers might want to know about? Dinah & Patty: We are continuing to work on our geometric series as well as pendants and have several functional glass collabs in the works. Additionally, we have a couple of new murrine sculptural projects that are still in the design stage.
makers anything, what would it be? Dinah & Patty: Slow down, take your time - strive for greater precision in your work.
Where can people find and purchase your work? On our website at www.glassmurrine.com Â
If you could tell aspiring Milli/ Murrine
Dinah & Patty: We are avid listeners to audio books while working. Dinah is currently listening to The Innovators by Walter Isaacson and Patty is listening to Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold.
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Minerals and Crystals. I am quite fond of using tektite in glass. Sometimes you will see a black planet in one of my pieces. That is tektite.
Where did you learn this? I have never had the opportunity to take lessons and very few opportunities to work with other artists. All of my knowledge is self-taught. I will study pictures and try to figure out how they were made. Then practice, practice, practice.
What type of torch do you use and why? Photos by Kinder Cannon
Age: 37 Location: I currently live in Statesboro Georgia. The Allman brothers really knew what they were talking about when they sang Statesboro blues. It’s a small town in the middle of nowhere.
How long have you been Lampworking? I have been blowing glass for 18 years now
I am currently working on a Carlisle cc plus. I use this torch because it was available at the right time for the right price. It was easier to adjust from using a regular Carlisle cc when I realized I need more heat and firepower. In the past year I went from having a hard time creating an inch and a half sized marble to making 3+ inch sized marbles. I am working on pushing my limits regularly. Hopefully by springtime I will have been able to create a 4 inch marble.
Who is your favorite marble maker? There are so many amazing artists out there that make marbles that I gain inspiration from that it would be difficult to name just one favorite. Any work from Rose Roads, Mike Gong, or Gateson Recko leaves me in awe. A few of my favorite lesser-known artists are Ken Cranor, Zariel Shore, Mike Hurst, Patrick Scully, Miles Parker and Shana Robyn.
Do you make pipes? I made a few handfuls of marbles but mostly made pipes and pendants for the longest time.
If the readers were to visit your shop, what music would they hear you working to? I’m always jammin out to the Grateful Dead, Phish, String Cheese Incident, Shimshia, classic rock, reggae or bluegrass while I’m working.
HB: When did you make your first Marble? I made my first marble around 16 years ago.
What kind of marble was your first? I never fully explored marbles until Spring of 2013. Now it is my main focus. The first marble I ever made was silver bits and fume of silver under clear and on top of cobalt. The design was purely accidental but came out looking very close to the marble from Men in Black called Orian’s belt. It was my prize possession for many years to come, and extremely inspirational. I believe it was the reason behind my love of space glass.
What is your signature style? Space is my area of focus when it comes to making marbles. I am also a lover of
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What is next? Do you have any projects or collabs coming soon the readers might want to know about? I hope to pursue more sculptural glasswork in the future. I will be giving my younger brother Jerrybear Cottrill a torch and lessons in glass very soon. We have many ideas for different lighting fixtures and sculptures we would like to create
If you could tell aspiring Marble makers anything, what would it be? If I could tell aspiring marble makers anything it would be to not give up. Follow your vision. And don’t be afraid to ask someone for advice. If they aren’t helpful then find someone who is. I’m always willing to help. When I first started making glass it was a protected secret and no one would help you out. I’m very happy to see more and more people sharing techniques and knowledge.
Where can your work be found to purchase? Currently the only place I sell my work at is thru Facebook and Instagram. I hope to have work in more shops in the future. A few shop owners have a small selection of my work available, those being Jimi’s Smokies Glass in Illinois and The Pieceful place in Oregon. I also am happy to help individuals custom design a glass marble or pendant, so if you’re ever interested in seeing more of my work or wish to make a purchase please look me up on Facebook or Instagram. I look forward to making new friends in the glass community. Namaste
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