Sunday 8/7/22

Unlike most weeks, I drank alcohol this week. We had a wedding at the house and much of my week was consumed with helping. Part of me week was then consumed with celebrating. 

I haven’t had the time to write this blog for a few weeks, so I’ll use today to catch you up. 

I spent last weekend in Aspen and Carbondale with friends attending Intersect Aspen and Mountain Fair in Carbondale. These two events could not be more contrasting, one being a fine art convention and the other a free outdoor festival. 

Upon pulling into Aspen via Independence Pass I arrived at the sister store of my local dispensary both of which carry the chillums I use to train my apprentice. They purchased all the pieces I brought with me. 

I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner at White House Tavern, after having nothing more than a smoothie and a fried egg all day. I hardly said a word to the bartender serving me nor anyone else. I scarfed down my burger in solitude, pondering how the rest of the weekend would pan out. When I asked for the check, the bartender told me it was covered and indicated that the family sitting next to me had picked up my tab. 

I spent the next hour enjoying a beer with the generous strangers and telling them about Drinking Vessels. Turns out among much other overlap, we know someone in common; a collector I have known since I first got into blowing glass in college. 

I spent the rest of the night enjoying the Magic Beans free show at Mountain Fair and then bounced around Carbondale with friends. At one house party I traveled down a psychedelic tunnel into a small basement room boasting a drum circle. I hardly spoke at the house party, unlike my usual propensity to chat incessantly. I played hand drums for long enough to lose track of everything else and shortly after the party concluded. 

In the morning I attended the VIP opening of Intersect with my friend Robert Burch and was later joined by Coldberger. I hit most of my favorite spots in town including the Raven Glass Gallery which always serves as a sense of inspiration to me.

We connected with artists and galleries around town before heading back over to Carbondale for another night of Mountain Fair. Graciously, Robert let us stay at his Carbondale crash pad with a woman named Deb. I look forward to spending more time over there and our host made it clear I’m welcome any time. 

Monday morning we were up at the crack of dawn to make our way to the private home tour of art collectors Jorge and Darlene Perez. Getting access to this event was no easy task. I pulled in favors from everyone I know, and after being rejected at least three times a friend was able to pull a favor and got me on the list. We had one hour to take in their art collection which of course does not include the majority of their art which has been donated to create the Perez Art Museum in Miami and other museums around the world. My mind was completely blown away. 

Upon introducing myself to Mr. Perez (while drinking coffee from a handmade mug made by Coyle and Calm) he identified me as “the one from the emails” he had received and we had a short chat about one of the pieces in his collection; a sculpture by the artist Marisol. 

After the tour we made a stop at Penny Hot Springs, which shocked me at between 130-140 degree natural pools on the side of the river which was of course freezing cold. After the hot springs the plan was to camp over Independence Pass, however we were deterred from that route by flash floods. Our alternate route took us home through Glenwood Canyon and when we got to Dotserro on the other side the sky was clear. We decided to set up camp on top of a ridge looking over Eagle County that a friend showed me recently. 

While I was gone my friend OLDGREED hit up my spot Rocky Mountain Tacos in Minturn where the owner recognized his Drinking Vessels shirt. Apparently, he asked if I was ok after not seeing me for five days and made sure Jeremy confirmed that I have been eating. It’s nice to have nice neighbors. I fucking love tacos. 

I haven’t had much time to blow glass the last few weeks, but when I can find time I’m prepping for some on deck collaborations I have in the works. I’m also working on the ash tray project which has me very excited. The first has been delivered to my client in Chicago and the second is en route to a client in New Jersey. OLDGREED and I are finishing up the third piece in the series which will be on it’s way to a client in Portland Oregon in a few weeks. The fourth piece is now in the hands of Red Cliff Bob the welder who is piecing together parts for us to finish. So far this is the only piece in the series that has not presold, but this is also the first time I’ve been able to mention it’s availability. If you would like to get on the list for the new line of sculptures please send me a message to discuss pricing and timeline. 

The team is growing. Marta has been helping at the studio for over two years now. Rusty has been coming in a few days a week for the last two months as the studio apprentice and he’s starting to make progress on the torch in addition to helping around the studio. OLDGREED comes up once a week from Denver to help with projects and our friend Eric is now coming up once a week from Denver as well to take some of the administrative work off my plate. Over the last few weeks Eric has helped get fresh inventory up on the website which he is also giving a facelift. 

I remember sitting in Bat Country Studios by myself years ago and wondering how I would accomplish my goals. I remember writing about how overwhelming a project like this can be to tackle alone. I have always had an abundance of support behind the scenes, but the actualization of having people at the studio on a regular basis is a relief beyond what I can describe in words. I feel confident moving forward that we can as a team grow this company together and continue to bring you the best selection of handmade drinkware. 

Today I need to get moving to meet a client at the studio and run Sunday Specials. Hopefully I’ll have some time and energy to get on the torch too. I’m looking forward to hanging out with some of you on the live stream at the studio, and I wish you all a relaxing Sunday. 

Thank you all for your support on my journey,

BB