“These are not just pipes… they’re works of art, and they deserved to be showcased as such. We poured all of our blood, sweat, and tears into building this business over the last 12 years and we have stuck with it because of our passion for the art and people who make up our industry.” – Megan & Matt Maidens, Glassology, Ontario CA
Similar to the practice of collecting any artwork, collecting glass comes down not only to the rarity of a particular item, but also to many other factors, as well as individual taste and preference. Therefore, it can be difficult for newcomers to the scene to be able to discern which work is valuable, why it is considered to be of high value, which pieces they should look to acquire and so forth. For example, everything from the artist who created it, color preparation and techniques used on the glass all play equally important parts.
Artist: Obzrvr
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
Because of my own love of glass collecting, I am constantly discovering fantastic new works of art from all around the world. But it is not often one finds a completely new rabbit hole to tumble down. During my glass journey, a fellow collector inspired me to learn more about the world of glass art. As my quest continued, my eyes were opened to an entirely new world – and it was Canada’s glass scene that caught my attention.
Although the US is famous for its iconic glassblowers and artists – too many to name – such as Darby, Banjo, Salt or Coyle whose work easily fetches thousands and is rare, often only seen at big glass shows around the country, it seems Canada is now hot on the heels of our own scene, carving its own niche in new and intriguing ways which pay homage to the work of its native artists.
Artist: Blazed
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
To learn more, I sat with the pioneers of the scene at Glassology in Ontario, and Baked Turkey, two heady glass stores which are staples of the scene, and have helped glass fans not just to find mind-blowing works of art from regional artists, but also to build lifelong connections.
Megan and Matt Maidens, owners of the Glassology store in Ontario, who first opened their doors in 2012. They told me there has been a lot of change in the Canadian glass art scene during this time period:
“When we began, the majority of the artists we carried were American, because they were the big players in glass art at that time. However, as the years passed, the Canadian Functional Glass Art world grew rapidly. Existing artists stepped up their game because there were just so many glass grandfathers and grandmothers to look up to who had been in the game for so long. A ton of new artists also began to emerge as a result of this heady glass explosion. The craft was unique, and challenging, and also started to become incredibly cool – communities of glass enthusiasts began to form based on a love for glass art.”
Artist: Julio Glass
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
Diving further into the Canadian glass world, I discovered the fascinating nature of inclusivity and passion toward the artists and buyers within the community, something of a breath of fresh air compared to the stores I encounter living over here. Many heady glass shops you tend to find online or in-person these days are brief on the detail they share about their products, which makes it difficult for new buyers to feel reassured when purchasing the work of new artists.
“We have found that the more detail, the better. Those who are serious about their glass want to know exactly what color was used, when a piece was made, etc, and adding these minor but important details about techniques helps educate as well, so that the artists’ years of honing their skills are recognized and properly accredited. These are not just pipes… they’re works of art, and they deserved to be showcased as such.
Online sales have also increased dramatically since lockdown, and we want buyers to feel confident that they will love what they’re buying as much in person as they do when browsing online. Color detail is especially important.”
Artist: Eckardt Glass
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
Glassology’s website conjures warm, nostalgic feelings of browsing your favorite record shop back in the days, and features elaborate descriptions and photography with details on the artist alongside a rich understanding of the work and techniques involved on each piece. They also feature photographs of each artist holding some of their work when they drop into the store.
One finds fascinating apparatus of all shapes and sizes, featuring the most sumptuous, mesmerizing and sought-after colors in the world of glass collecting right now – beautiful transparents like the ocean-esque marina, the vivid gold purple, and deeper experimental hues like biodiesel sparkle, guava roots, icy satin, lime over bronze pearl, or dark phoenix over opal satin.
Artist: Obzrvr
Photo credit: Baked Turkey
“We have always done our best to create a space for Canadian artists to showcase their work and grow as artists,” say Megan and Matt, of their approach to marketing the work of these glass artists.
“We were one of the first shops in Canada to bring in functional glass art, and we did so before the demand was really there. As a small family run business, investing in headies for the shop wasn’t always financially easy in the early days as we were getting our feet on the ground, but it was important to us regardless. My husband and I have a passion for glass art and we found so much enjoyment in meeting the artists, seeing their work progress, and sharing these works with collectors and potential collectors who were just starting to hear about what was going on. We have hosted many in-person shows and drops over the years that always bring out an incredible crowd of people. These events helped foster a community – a lot of attendees made lifelong friends at some of our events.”
Artist: Julio Glass
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
Fellow glass collector, influencer and expert, Noah Birch, known as Bloomedasfuck on Instagram, is an employee at Baked Turkey in Winnipeg and helped me to understand more about how the underground pipe scene in Canada has developed. It’s also important to note that it was Noah who first introduced me to Canadian glass, and who gave me the inspiration to learn more and write this article in the beginning.
He gives me the lowdown on how Canada’s trends have developed: “During covid, there was a major boom of collecting hand-made glass in Canada, that’s when artists and collectors started popping up like crazy. With this new boom happening, a lot more Canadian glass has trickled its way through the entirety of the scene.”
Artist: Jamms Glass
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
Noah started collecting glass a few years ago: “At that time I would regularly stop around all the headshops in my city in search of the best glass, and Baked Turkey always ended up being the best spot. Seeking to level up my collection, Kurtis, the manager at Baked Turkey, started showing me some of the hand made pieces in the shop. I was immediately sold on the idea of supporting local artists who are trying to make their own cool and unique stuff rather than the more common, mass produced, and less ethical methods used abroad.
Over time, becoming a regular customer at Baked Turkey, Noah eventually landed a job working there to feed his passion for glass collecting. “Almost always, the selling portion of things was done through the Canadian Glass Market page on instagram, which is the most popular way to move your used glass here up North since we don’t have access to things like GlassPass.
“Over the late 2000s, a few glassblowers emerged gradually spreading awareness of the practice and their work. This was the beginning of the slow and ongoing growth of the heady glass scene here in Canada and there are more than a few artists who we would consider our legends since the late 2000’s: Grassblower, Stratosphere, Fluid Motion Glassworks, Korey Cotnam, Jon K, Hippos Glass, JS glass, Vagabond, Urban Glass, Full Zirkl, Jesse Who, Kirill, Browski and Gibson.
Artist: Thill Glassworks
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
“Through more recent years with the Canadian scene continuing to boom through covid, this list expanded to include popular and rising artists such as JHoney, Rob Biglin, TombStoned, Yougo Boro, Vagabond Glass, Eka Glass, Eckardt, Jamms Glass, Kahuna Glass, Al Gore, Gump, Julio Glass, Jays SciFi Shop (Blazed Glass), Thill Glassworks, Titz, and Jordan Rising among others. All these artists are very talented and often underrated in their own respects due to the small population and market size of Canada.
Saving the best for last, is the work of Obzrvr, an artist from Hamilton who has worked tirelessly to rapidly earn his reputation as Canada’s most iconic and sought-after pipe creator.
Artist: Jesse Who
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
Featuring his distinctive tooling marks, which are thin lines carved around the circumference of each tube, Obzrvr’s pieces evoke a retro 1970s feeling, along with a careful and shrewd understanding of how to deploy color to devastating effect against a backdrop of clear scientific glass.
“The prevalence of Obzrvr is extremely notable in the Canadian scene, due to the artist being such a well educated and traditionally trained glassblower,” says Noah.
“As an artist who takes his craft extremely seriously, he has followed the steps in evolving his techniques carefully and properly through school and scientific blowing – something very evident in how clean his work is. Obzrvr would find his work quickly gaining traction in Canada, speaking for itself becoming the hot pieces to own, akin to the likes of Sovereignty in the US but on a much smaller scale.”
It has been a few weeks since the most recent Obzrvr drop, where only two bongs were available to buy, and were predictably scooped up by fans almost instantly.
Artist: Obzrvr x Duffy Glass
Photo credit: Baked Turkey
Megan and Matt at Glassology explained why Glassology was selected by Obzrvr to hold the latest drop:
“Over the years we have become friends with so many of these artists, and we are honored that they respect the way we run our business enough to trust us with hosting events like these. Myself and my husband, Matt are very down to earth people. We poured all of our blood, sweat, and tears into building this business over the last 12 years and we have stuck with it because of our passion for this industry and the people who make up this industry.”
Artist: Yougo Boro
Photo credit: Noah Birch / Baked Turkey
Canada’s glass pipe scene is all about keeping things, it would seem, in the family.
“Our son was with us at the shop every day just a few days after he was born because being at home with him was not an option – we are the definition of a small family business. We make people feel comfortable when they’re in our shop or chatting with us online – whether you have been collecting glass for a number of years, or you’re completely new to smoking, or somewhere in between, you are welcomed with respect and dignity by us. There’s something so exciting and humbling about showing someone a heady piece for the first time when they had no idea that work like this existed. Equally exciting for us is helping a long-time collector add another piece to their collection.”
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Dr. StrainLove is a long time lover of fine weed and is always hunting for the latest and greatest strains. His search has taken him from the Coffeeshops of Amsterdam to the boutique dispensaries of California, and lots of other places in between. He loves making music, playing video games, and using marijuana to ponder the mysteries of the universe. When he’s not doing those things, he enjoys spending time with his cat.
