My First Piece January 14, 2014

Glass!

I started collecting back in the late 90’s, during the early years of the American Pipe Art movement. I was taking a ride up to Vermont and checking out a store by the name of Full Tank.

I couldn’t believe how far the scene came in such a short amount of time. The glass was amazing, from pipes with simple line work and fuming to a miasma of color and creativity. To put it mildly, I was floored.

I started rapping with the store manager, telling him how I just started blowing glass and had a small shop back home. I pointed out a few Heady pieces that caught my eye and told him I was interested in making a purchase.

One particular piece was a Steve Gelb Sherlock with this space age feel that someone from another planet would be using. Problem was I hadn’t expected to find such amazing pieces of art and didn’t bring a lot of cash with me; all I had was my checkbook.

The store manager told me he would call the owner but he didn’t think my situation was going to fly. I waited anxiously while he called his boss and a few minutes later I received the green light. The owner had heard of my shop so he was going to take a chance with my check.

I couldn’t believe how I felt looking at my new sherlock. It took hold of my attention with its finite details and flow. This was the first official piece of my collection. I couldn’t wait to add more.