the glass issue
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Avatar Glass M A N I F E ST I N G YO U R PAT H
leafmagazines.com
The artwork and culture that surrounds glass continues to expand in artistic exploration, function and overall popularity. Avatar Mccravy, better known as Avatar Glass, is a perfect example of how the underground scene of glass pipes and art has helped form an entirely new generation of artists. AT 22-YEARS-OLD, Avatar feels like he is just at the beginning of what he knows will be an exciting career in glass. Avatar was born in 1998, only a few years before the infamous Operation Pipe Dreams took down many in the glass community, pushing the art scene further underground. He grew up on the East Coast in Asheville, North Carolina with parents who were big live music heads, travel-
APr. 2021
was 16 and I remember someone hitting me ing the country to see bands like Phish and the up asking for a custom belt buckle and they’d Grateful Dead. In what may seem like a quick give me $100, and that was it.” rise to the upper echelon of the glass art scene, He quit his regular job and continued to the career of Avatar has actually grown consishone his skills with his home-brew studio, tently and equally with the amount of love and completing his high school graduation project effort he has put into the art form. on lamp working – with most of his first sales When asked where his drive comes from, he of pendants and belt buckles going to his local was quick to speak of his mom’s inspiration: high school friends. Avatar’s mother raised five kids by herself in a By age 18, Avatar began having the desire three bedroom apartment, and he watched her to make his pieces more and hustle and work extremely hard, more complex – largely due to eventually becoming a nurse to collector demand. support her family. This is when the AstralcyAccording to Avatar, all of his cler design was manifested. early inspiration came from direct “Astral means ‘of the stars’ life experiences and getting into and everything on this earth the glass game was tough. “I came from them. Stars are remember calling my mom and like a reactor, they take fuel telling her that I thought I could and convert it into something really do it for a living,” Avatar else. They form hydrogen into recalls. “I picked it up quickly, but helium, and helium is built I was always just willing to put in into carbon, nitrogen, oxygen hours. Everyone would almost and everything else we are laugh at me when I was 12 and made of. It’s a way of bringing telling people I wanted to be a it back to the origins of our creglassblower. People would tell me “It’s a way of and how in this universe, I had to do this and that first, and bringing it back ation everything is connected,” says basically go through all these levels. to the origins Avatar. I just wanted to put in the hours.” When asked how he’s gotten In 2011, the legendary documen- of our creation to this point in his career in tary “Degenerate Art” was released and how in glass art so quickly, Avatar says, and Avatar really saw the different this universe, “Really what it comes down to levels to the glass game. is showing up every day and So at age 15, he everything is having this discussion with the decided to approach connected.” muse. That you’re there every glass with an entrepreday and you’re sending the signal to the unineurial attitude, got a second job, verse that you’re ready to work.” saved up money and set up a mini Avatar’s first official show was held in March torch in his mother’s garage. 2021 with Hickory Smoke Shop in California “Because I was under 18, no – a full body of work with a series of Mythoone wanted to teach me how to logical Sphinxes and other works representing make a pipe,” says Avatar. his love, vision and output of energy into the “So I had to do it myself, and artform he has spent his life pursuing. it definitely gave me that ‘do-itmyself’ attitude. I changed my Instagram to Avatar Glass when I AVATARGLASS.NET | @AVATARGLASS
