Glass is one of those magical materials artists have been working with for thousands of years. For smokers, nothing beats a brand new glass pipe or bong, even given the fragility of its construction. Glass is durable to a point, but just fragile enough to treat it with care. Artists who work with glass have been treating the cannabis community to tools for perhaps as long as glassblowing itself has been around (although perhaps with tobacco at first). Over a decade ago the Federal government arrested dozens of glass artists for making accessories, and even Tommy Chong was caught up in its dragnet. Today, the legalization of cannabis has led to ever-rising artistic talent in glass work. No doubt there will be others as time goes on, but here’s a look at five heady glass artists to check out. The bonus is that you can buy their art and use it!
WJC aka William Justin Cothren
Some of the most sought-after glass is made by Cothren, who just goes by WJC and is an artist-in-residence with Everdream Studio (home to a plethora of talented glassblowers). His Instagram is filled with new work, most of which is sold immediately or was made for clients. He’s self-taught but his work is reminiscent of Scott Deppe, one of the most respected artists in the glassblowing community. No surprise, but Deppe showed WJC how to make the intricate patterns he now emblazons much of his work with, and those “Flower of Life” patterns are derived from WJC’s experiences with psychedelics. His work has appeared in art galleries, and is actually quite rare, increasing its price.
Salt
Some of the wildest designs with an organic bent will be found at Saltglass. Many of his creations look like living, breathing creatures — or at least hallucinations. His creativity leads to naming these glass creatures, and his imagination creates everything from fleshy-looking glass works to bongs that glow in UV light. Many of his works have eyes, spikes, and patterns, dots, and swirls in seemingly impossible combinations. If you’re looking for a creature made of glass, Salt’s your guy.
Jason Harris (Jerome Baker Designs)
One can’t talk about this industry without mentioning Jason Harris of Jerome Baker Designs Baker, who has persevered since the 2003 “Operation Pipe Dreams” that raided his business (along with Chong’s) and saw him arrested. But Baker studied under the legendary Bob Snodgrass, the “Godfather of Glass” who started in the 1970’s, and today cranks out a solid lineup of glass accessories. His business started in 1991 in a dorm room, but now has multiple locations and dozens of employees. Harris may be best known lately for making the world’s biggest bong: the Redemption Bong, on display in Las Vegas. His designs are solid, and his store includes artwork and even lunchboxes alongside chillums and bongs.
Check out the interview on Stoner Things to learn more about Jason Harris.
LuDA
Out of the stars in this list, LuDA Glass has some of the most cartoonish but intricate designs. He makes a lot of cartoony characters with big, Mickey Mouse-ish hands, but also creates impeccable recreations of drink containers, like a “Haterade” bottle bong, or a trippy holographic Starbucks “weed girl” contraption. His most famous line of glass is that cartoonish character with the hand out, called “FU Pay Me” and he’s got a “currency” called LuDA Loot. He’s got 20 years of glassblowing experience, and it shows in the looser works as well as the recreations.
Dani Girl Glass
Get your pop culture nostalgia fix with Dani’s amazing glasswork. If you’re a child of the 90’s you’ll drool over her Pokémon and Nickelodeon cartoon recreations, and gamers will appreciate the Nintendo-inspired works. Dani’s been at it for over a decade now, and her work is creative and intricate. Perhaps one of the most incredible pieces lately has to be this portal gun from Rick and Morty (see below) that glows in UV light. Her latest work is available on her Facebook page, and has lately taken a bit of a tiki-inspired turn.
