7 Famous Smokeable Glass Artists You Should Know

With the legalization of marijuana in 11 US states, the perception of functional glass art has quickly transformed. What was once a frowned-upon practice is now a celebrated form of expression. 

If you love bongs and pipes, you should know about the pioneers that changed the game of glass art. Here are seven of the most well-known, accomplished glass artists.  

1. Bob Snodgrass 

An inspiration to glass artists across the globe, Bob Snodgrass is known as the "Godfather of Glass." With a title like that, it's no surprise that Snodgrass' pipes and other glass pieces are one-of-a-kinds. 

After Snodgrass spotted a pipe in a store display window, his world changed. This pipe called to him, and it was then that he found his new path. Snodgrass would go on to invent many famous techniques for creating glass art, most notably "fuming."

Another invention to thank this legendary glass artist for is the sidecar pipe. When Snodgrass grew tired of his pipe rolling over after being set down, he created a pipe that would remain upright. 

Snodgrass is most known for his work with The Grateful Dead. Following the band across the country during their tours, he sold his beautiful glass pieces out of his van alongside his family for decades. This "Godfather of Glass" undoubtedly changed the game for generations of glass artists to come. 

2. Jason Harris (Jerome Baker Designs)

Another highly respected glass artist, Jerome Baker Designs founder Jason Harris, was once an apprentice to Bob Snodgrass. His glass pieces are designed to maximize your high with beautiful artwork and architecture. 

Beginning his journey in a garage, Harris was another follower of The Grateful Dead, selling his glass pipes in concert venue parking lots. Hiring many friends that he met during the tours, Harris would go on to create one-of-a-kind glass pieces for celebrities of the late 90s and early 2000s. 

Later, Harris created glass artwork for homes and businesses. His most famous creation is his 24-foot bong on display at the Cannabition Cannabis Museum in Las Vegas. This giant bong celebrates the end of prohibition and is known as the Freedom Bong, or Bongzilla. 

Jerome Baker Designs now has over 70 employees, and consistently creates some of the world's most epic bongs and artistic glass pipes. 

3. Jsyn Lord

Based in San Diego, Jsyn Lord has a loyal following of collectors and glass art enthusiasts. His wide range of styles and techniques make for some of the most expensive bongs and pipes in the world. 

With peculiar shapes, bright colors, and unconventional designs, Jsyn Lord is well known for his collaborations with other glass artists. Jsyn Lord's pieces are typically inspired by geometry and odd patterns. 

Jsyn Lord is also one of the most famous heady glass artists. Heady glass is an intricate style of glass with abstract or modern influences. His pieces never lack eye-catching and abnormal designs. 

4. Salt Glass

Known for his odd, beautiful, other-worldly creations, Salt Glass is well-known with glass art lovers everywhere. This glass artist is adored by many and creates pieces, unlike any other. 

Starting his career in flame-throwing in 2001 in Austin, Texas, Salt Glass creates a world within each bong or pipe. Each creature has a unique personality and lives in its own special dimension.

The Salt Glass mission is to channel inner demons and stressful thoughts into art, therefore creating pieces that serve a real purpose in someone else's life. 

With each piece sporting its own eyes, teeth, and claws, these glass creatures tell the story of an entity that's "not to be trifled with." The inspiration behind all Salt Glass pieces is to create a piece of art that can stand on its own and stand up for itself. With a mission to "connect and protect," this world-renowned glass artist makes pieces that should be experienced with all the senses. 

5. Jimi Cummins (Wicked Glass)

When Jimi Cummins saw his first glass pipe in the parking lot at, you guessed it, a Grateful Dead concert, he fell in love. As another artist inspired by Snodgrass, Cummins would go on to live and sell his unique glass pieces out of an RV. 

Cummins started out selling his glass pipes on his home town beaches of Santa Cruz. After reading his favorite book, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and taking inspiration from Snodgrass's journey, Cummins hit the road in his RV and traveled across the country. 

Today, Cummins' brand Wicked Glass has over 146,000 followers on Instagram and is known and loved by many. Wicked Glass is known for its stunningly vibrant line of Kraken pipes. Inspired by a deep love of the ocean and Octopus Alone, a children's book by Divya Srinivasan, these stunning pipes are wildly popular among glass pipe lovers. 

6. Tammy Baller 

Another loved glass artist, Tammy Baller, specializes in satirical sculptures that catch the attention of glass art enthusiasts everywhere. 

Baller got her start in glass art during her college years, where she would play with soft glass often. After dropping out of college, Baller deeply missed working with the glass and invested in a torch. Shortly after, she began making her own pieces inspired by her daily life.  

If you're looking to smoke out of a glass figurine of Jerry Garcia or even The Wicked Witch of The West, Baller is your gal. With incredibly detailed features and a wide range of iconic characters in glass form, it's no surprise that Baller has stacked up a following of almost 30,000 on Instagram. 

With over 18 years of glass art experience, Baller's humorous pieces of legendary people and silly figurines only continue to grow more complex.

7. Robert Mickelsen

Robert Mickelsen has been a glass blowing connoisseur since the mid-1970s.  Mickelsen changed the glass art game by bridging the two worlds of fine art and functional glass. 

Mickelsen got his start creating glass pieces for galleries at places like The Corning Museum and The Smithsonian Institute. After he took a class in 1987 with Paul Stankard, he was inspired to take his fine art knowledge and use it in the world of pipes and bongs. 

Mickelsen has gone on to teach at major glass schools, publish articles about the foundation of glass art and direct videos on his techniques. His craftsmanship and attention to detail have made him one of the most famous glass artists today. 

Celebrate Glass Artists Today

With so many talented glass artists out there, there are a ton of unique glass pieces to choose from.

Click here to shop our collection of beautiful glass pipes.