The cannabis counterculture has always existed parallel to the functional glass art community; the two go hand in hand. Cannabis and glass are best enjoyed together, after all. Whether you’re in the market or not, a connoisseur of either will enjoy perusing recent heady glass art pieces.
Some are collaborations, others come from collectives, and they’re all made by glass artists around the country: these functional glass pieces represent some of the impressive art coming out of the culture now.
Rainbow Mama by Mia Shea
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Mia Shea is known for creating goddess rigs featuring feminine figures in motion, and Rainbow Mama is no different. Some of Shea’s goddesses are in yoga poses like Natarajasana (Dancer’s Pose), with others engulfed in dance, and they’re all beautiful. Her use of color is rarely predictable and often features patterns and sacred geometry.
Shea crafts goddesses, as well as pendants and rollers, all in her nature-focused style. Despite facing challenges like wildfire taking out her studio Shea continues her work, evolving her style as artists do.
Check out her recent body of work @miasheaglass.
Cosmiphone #1 by Etai Rahmil
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When he’s not representing the Pure Over coffee maker, Etai Rahmil is creating art in the glass workshop. The Portland-based artist is known for heady functional glass pieces inspired by musical instruments, like this horn instrument recycler. He also often features themes of Venetian masks and other antiques in his work over the last decade.
When he isn’t working or building new brands, Rahmil volunteers at The Crucible, teaching industrial art lessons to California Bay Area kids.
Find a sample of Rahmil’s latest creations @etairahmil.
Grounded Fume Devi by Banjo Glass
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You’ll never smoke alone again with this gnarly 4/20 celebratory piece from renowned functional glass artist Banjo Glass. The artist had his first showing at a Los Angeles gallery in 2016, an exhibition alongside artists like Alex and Allyson Grey that featured android goddesses on par with his usual themes.
Banjo Glass often features hand-sculpted goddesses, bikes, and elements reminiscent of Star Wars with bright, engaging color spectrums. The glass-blowing legend has work available in his shop, and records the process of glass-blowing and drops collabs @banjoglass.
Explorer by Sam Lyons
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Lemon-focused glass blower Sam Lyons makes cups, pendants, rigs, pipes, and other functional pieces, and they are all adorned with citrus fruit. The artist grew up around cannabis in Vermont, where his father rented a space in the backyard to glass artists.
After watching the artists work for some time, Lyons took a class in traditional glass art and started networking with local glass blowers. Eventually, Lyons met Joe Peters and followed him to Colorado to DreamLab Glass, where he found his signature lemon after watching Peters work on a honeycomb.
View recent work and shop his art @lyonsglass.
Fumicello Holding Reaper by Joachim Glass
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Creepy cool Reapers are a mainstay for Berkeley-based Joachim Glass. The artist most enjoys shaping, which is apparent in his sitting Reapers and other painstakingly sculpted glass art. He has long been obsessed with skulls and dark themes, which initially led him to create the first Reaper, a concept he has continued exploring.
Additional themes seen in past works from Joachim include a cute flower rig and classically shaped beaker pieces, but the gallery consists of his iconic Reaper as of late. Don’t fear the Reaper; check out @joachimglass.
Trout Pipe by Chelsey Dahlstrom
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Self-proclaimed “fish wizard” Chelsey Dahlstrom works under the brand Trapper Studio releasing fish-heavy heady pieces perfect for the fly fisherman stoner in your life. She makes bubblers, bowl pieces, chillums, and more in the form of categorically accurate fish like trout and perch.
The artist started in mixed medium before settling on working with borosilicate glass, and she now uses her in-depth knowledge of fish to create these realistic functional pieces.
Vibe under the sea, and scope out available works @trapperstudio.
Chocolate Donut by Brian Owoc
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Maine-based KGB Glass is known for sugary sweet donuts made of shining glass that inspire the munchies before you light the bowl. The featured piece is a chocolate-on-chocolate rig developed for Donut Fest 10, an annual donut-themed art showcase in Portland, ME.
The donut theme started when Owoc worked at a Dunkin’ Donuts where he met fellow Phish-heads and many glass blowers. As a result, he developed a love for baking donuts alongside an appreciation for glass art before transitioning into the medium.
Shop donuts and view hefty 2023 collabs @kgbglass.
Creature Collab by Jay Worthington and Scott Gray
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This rig embodies the 90s stoner vibe with rasta colors in the JayWorthIt iconic skateboard wheel and pot leaf adornments. The addition of a Creature logo is the icing on the cake.
Mr. Gray Glass pieces often include a pot leaf and feature green elements, while skater Jay Worthington usually brings in the skate culture. The result of this pair working together feels like a time capsule to the early days of Thrasher magazine.
View more work by both artists @mrgrayglass and @jayworthit.
Blue Rose Torus by Mothership Glass
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Bellingham, WA-based Mothership Glass is a collective of artists focused on pushing the boundaries of functional glass art. Led by glass veteran Scott Deppe, Mothership artists explore new methods and refine old ones to incorporate sacred geometry and intricate detail like that seen in the Blue Rose Torus.
Check out the variety of work from collective artists @mothership_glass.
Wook Cat by Buck Glass and WJC Glass
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Featuring bright colors and intricate sacred geometry details, the Wook Cat cougar head is a sight to behold. Buck Glass is often inspired by the animal kingdom, creating psychedelic fish and animal skulls.
WJC Glass brings geometric patterns made with bold colors and elements. The pair collaborated on Wook Cat for The Wook Show, a glass art gathering.
Shop and explore their work @buckglass and @wjcglass.
Cannabis and glass are a match made in heaven, and these functional heady pieces solidify the pairing. These pieces are stunning and offer something for every aesthetic. Even if you don’t see your perfect piece in this list, the beauty of artists is they continue evolving and creating– everyone is bound to find their perfect piece.