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MR VOORHEES Q&A PART 3: The Past, Present, and Future of Voorhees Glass.

The glass industry has grown exponentially over the last 5 years, with new artists, new techniques, and new colors. We felt it was necessary for the glass community to have some insight on the artists, and what drives their creative engines. It was always in my interest to learn more about an artist that has always had my attention, respect, and admiration. Mr. Voorhees has developed some of the most aesthetically pleasing, and incredibly functioning glass to date. He has never remained static, always pushing the boundaries of his work, and exploring multiple mediums to express his art. We were delighted to have the chance to ask him some questions about the past, present, and what we can expect from his future!

I feel like a good place to start would be simply how did you get into glassblowing, was it a window for your street art and paintings or did you start with a different medium such as graffiti, sketching, etc?

VRHS: I started making glass in 2004 with the help of Adam G who gave me the opportunity to try it out.. since I was a little kid, my dad was always drawing and painting and naturally I wanted to be like him.. that’s where my drive to be an artist came from.

That’s awesome! So where were you born n raised, where did you start and where are you currently blowing glass?

VRHS: I was born and raised in Michigan, that’s where I started.. now I’m in Southern California, been here for the last few years.

So how did you begin the heads? were they originally modeled after anyone in particular?

VRHS: I always drew and painted faces of different types and when I started gathering the skills to sculpt glass it just started happening.. I was super inspired by the pieces I was seeing from Bearclaw and the faces he was making at the time also.. I give a lot of credit to him for the direction my glass went in the beginning. I was also very inspired by the work I saw from Martin Janeky and Ross Richmond, two amazing dog glass sculptors.

That’s an excellent insight! My next question then would be how did you develop function and your line of pieces? The HIB function is iconic.

VRHS: Honestly the function was something that I didn’t even consider.. I was in Philly working at Krushmore and saw Slinger insert a perc through the bottom.. I always wanted to see the head inside the glass, watching Slinger opened that door.

Slinger and you do a lot of work together, who are some of your other favorite artists to work with?

VRHS: Pretty much every one of the people I’ve done collaborations with have been a blast to work with, I’m definitely looking forward to working with Peter Muller again for our show at Piece Of Mind OC in September.

I have to ask for all the vrhs collectors, will the classic HIB series end at 100?

VRHS: That is correct. The solo HIBs will be done at 100. I’ll still do a couple variations (recycler, doublestack) and will make collaboration HIBs for now.

Besides the development of HIB1 What do you think was the most challenging solo HIB to complete, and among all variations of the HIB do you have a favorite? (submitted by IG: @namastay_heady)

VRHS: Oh man, I don’t really know.. learning how to now break the first few was a challenge. It seemed like I was breaking three to get one finished without any problems, after I got my timing down with my moves and the heat they became much easier. My favorites change so often, right now I’m excited to make these last few as nice as I can and end the series with a bang.

You have made the head iconic in your work and yet have reached in so many directions with astounding work such as the abstracts, full bodys, bags, painted techs, and now the new murini stack style. Do you plan on moving forward with all these styles, or do you like to retire some?

VRHS: I get bored really easily, I enjoy the process of making glass and the infinite things you can do with it.. the murini stack pieces are something I’m having the most fun with at the moment, the things you can do with this style of work never ends. It’s making me think about glass in a different way than I ever have before.. I’m definitely planning on moving forward with all styles, combining some and refining them.

Thats really an honest an inspiring approach! I can tell you after speaking with Bump, Chef and from my personal experience with other VRHS collectors, the blend of old and new is something really exciting. It’s not often you see an artist also span multiple mediums so fluidly, I know I myself am dying for the next drop of paintings! Can we expect to see more paintings, clothes, and accessories?

VRHS: Absolutely, I’m always working on paintings here and there, I’ll probably release some this summer along with some new shirts and a hat hopefully, a couple other items too.

Thats exciting news! Are there any artists you havent collabed with yet that you would specifically like to?

VRHS: Too many to name.. There’s artists I’ve been friends with for most of my career that I haven’t worked with yet, and there’s a lot of people that are of the “newer generation” that are making such beautiful and unique work.. the list of people I’d like to collaborate with seems never ending.

I feel that! As a collector myself I’ve noticed how detail oriented you are. I often search VRHS rigs that I meet for UV glazed eyes, or small CFL pieces. I think that its a very dynamic part of your work.

Your work is definitely one of a kind, and regarded as both aesthetically pleasing and of the highest quality function, I just want to say thank you for giving us some insight on your work and Im sure the entire VRHS community thanks you keeping it so real. I know the community is excited as hell for the Muller show and for whats in store for the future of your art! You’re definitely appreciated!

VRHS: I just want to make nice work, nice glass that is sturdy, functions well and looks good.. There are so many boro colors out there, the possibilities are endless. I want to say thank you to my collectors, shops/gallery’s and fellow artists for all the love over the years.. I really appreciate you giving me the chance to speak on my work.. and all the kind words.

Voorhees was such a pleasure to talk to, and I know we are ecstatic to see what he brings to us in the future. At the top pictured is a very early head sculpt, HIB #0, an abstract owned by IG: jahfyahson, the first VRHS I saw in person owned by IG: gucciglob, the blue dream recycler “Doug” owned by IG: heady_bj, his new style “murini stack”, a blend of two new styles “Painted tech” and the new “MIB in a bottle”, some of his paintings, and my personally owned, Head in a Bag #2! Thank you again for all readers! Let us know who you would like to learn about next @glassleaks on Instagram!!

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MR VOORHEES Q&A Part 2: Cookin’ a Collection with the Chef!

If you’re a VRHS collector, you know who the scoop master is: Chef Lively. Yesterday, I spoke a little with the Chef about his massive collection, his favorite aspects of the VRHS community, and what he would love to see from Nick in the future!

What was the first vrhs piece you ever purchased and what was it that grabbed your attention?

Chef: First VRHS ever purchased were four hibs at the same time: numbers 81, 84, 86, and 89. They were the only pieces like that available at the time. VRHS pieces really stand out. I was curious to how good they really function. If you look at HIB #84....its super easy to see how I fell in love.

Yeah, the restriction delivered by the balloon perc is what got me and I think a lot of VRHS owners hooked! With that being said, do you have a favorite piece?

Chef: Man....thats a tough question. Probably my daily driver HIB84....but I also have this little yellow jammer he made that shreds so hard....its hard to choose between the hibs, jammers, dry pieces, stickers, paintings and other functional sculptures...then theres pieces I love because my wife bought them for me, or the artist gifted them to me. So many pieces I haven’t even used yet....probably over half of it has never been used. Then theres the head in a recycler set I won at The Pipe Classic. When the auction ended Nick and I were so estatic we looked at each other and actually bro hugged. That was an amazing experience and piece...so maybe that was my favorite. I still havent used that set.

Thats really amazing man, I have to agree with so much you just said.

Chef: Yeah...the bidding got so high for that piece I almost passed the fuck out. Yeah man....We're a small group of ultra hardcore collecters...thats what i love about the VRHS community...its diverse as hell, tight as fuck, and we all look after each other. Truly.

Thats some fantastic insight and i have to agree! My next question is where would you like Nick to go from here as far as his streamlined work. A doublestack series like the HIBs, more painteds, more full bodys? Maybe even the abstract series? Chef’s choice!

Chef: Another tough question to answer. Nicks work is surprising and edgy.

So youre more interested in seeing something completely out of left field? I like that answer.

Chef: As far as streamlined work, its impossible to answer. From a selfish viewpoint and slightly avoiding the sreamlined part of the question, Id love to see him bust out some older style sculpting and blending it with his latest techniques. Could you imagine an old school sculpted double head in a bottle with modern MIBs ?? Fuck man. Also, he does put out a few motifs that are more feminine. His Marbles in a bottle and some of his facial sculpting definitely expresses a feminine virtue. I dont always see it but my wife does.

I like that viewpoint! My girlfriend (IG:@theblondeglobber) is also fond of that aspect and I’m sure she’ll be ecstatic to hear your wife feels the same way! I appreciate the thorough answers and I definitely think the VRHS community is gonna be stoked to hear your viewpoint ! My final request is if you ever have time to get a family photo of your collection that would be so awesome ! We would love to see it! Thanks Chef!

Chef’s collection is seemingly always growing and I’m so excited to see the next scoops! Pictured at the top is some of his best, including the HIBcycler set from Pipe Classic! Tonight will conclude the MR VOORHEES Q&A with Nick himself! Thanks!

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MR VOORHEES Q&A PART 1: Q&A with Bumpasaurus420!

For Part 1 of our coverage on MR VOORHEES, we got the chance to talk to instagram cannabis personality and elite vrhs collector Bumpasaurus420! He took the time out of his day to let us in on his journey into functional glass art, and we got to hear what he has to say about one of his favorite artists!

You host the largest VRHS collection to date! How did you get into collecting them and was it the first artistic glass you collected?

Bump: I had bought a few pieces from smaller artists first, who were a little cheaper, like Chris drags and bard glass. Then, early 2016, I was at a weed festival in Seattle, I forget which one, it was the one where Waka Flocka performed and had to go to the hospital after Dabbing too much with Jolie olie. There were booths and what not selling products like there usually are, and one glass booth there had a variety of high end glass bongs and rigs, including a small Voorhees jammer. I messaged a friend of mine who told me about Voorhees originally (the guy who sold me my first heady Rig from Chris drags) asking him about what they are worth (about), and he said minimum 1000, and they had it priced at 900, so I ended up getting it, for a little less actually, because they threw in some other stuff. Then, the next two days after showing it on my Instagram a lot, I got so much interest, including some offers for as much is $1500, without even posting it for sale or anything. So I basically realized how much demand there was for his work, and the fact that they were going up quickly, because the store paid 900 retail about six months before, and people were now willing to pay much more than retail. But also, I fell in love with the artwork and function of the piece, it hit so perfectly, and was such a beautifully done piece, and it actually ended up being the piece that was on Nick’s website, he had four different pictures of it on his homepage, it’s one of his favorite heads he’s ever made coincidentally. So I went to 52nd Street and bought my second one and my first pendant, and watched a Instagram closely as people put them up for sale, and started buying them here and there, mostly used for about $1000 per jammer, and the price is steadily went up as the Voorhees shows would get mobbed and sold out, with people waiting in line all night sometimes, which was unheard of for almost any other artist. That’s when I really got into them and started collecting more and more, buying them used, trading oil for some, sometimes buying for cash if they were good enough deal. As beautiful as they are, and as much as I appreciated them, I wasn’t rich enough to own that many pieces of art if it wasn’t for the fact that I was investing as well, into something that I knew I would be able to make money on at the same time. I’ve been selling some of my collection over the last six months to a year since the prices for his work have plateaued and a few other people have been buying a lot, so I may not be the number one collector anymore, it may actually be Chef Lively.

Thats quite the story, and yeah Chef Lively definitely has a large collection as well. Now that youre beginning to sell your collection, I must ask, do you have any NFSE? or if not, what is youre favorite piece you own?

Bump: Yes and no, I have a couple pieces that I don’t usually show people when they ask what’s for sale, but I would maybe be willing to sell any of them. The ones that are the most special to me are the half body, HIB number 15, and the Trevy probably. Also the 2 salt collabs and the double uptake.

Definitely some fire pieces. My last question is where would you like to see Nick go from here? What of his newer stuff would you like to see run like the HIB series? the doublestacks? MIBinbottles? painted techs?

Bump: I like all of the stuff he does, and in general would like to see him do more stuff with hands and feet, since they are pretty rare in general, usually they are just on the full bodies are half bodies, but I would like to see him put them on jammers or other pieces in a more creative way, kind of similar to his Picasso or mixed up face style pieces he’s done in the past. I have a foot dabber that he made back in 2015 that I really love. I also do like the double head stacked tube things he makes, would like to see a long tube with maybe five or six heads stacked up like a totem pole style, it would be a lot of work though. Also would like to see a paint style pendant or something like that would be sweet, oh, I also really like when he sandblast the heads, which he does really on pendants, especially with skin tones, makes them look really unique and realistic.

Some awesome ideas! I definitely agree with you on the stacked heads it would be epic!

Bump: In general, I like when he is creative, and does stuff more limited in quantity, so things are more collectible and unique, which he already does a great job at, and is one of the reasons he’s as popular as he is.

Thank you Bumpasaurus420 for the insight and a little history on your collection! Check him out on instagram @bumpasaurus420! Pictured are some of the pieces mentioned including the EPIC collab between VRHS and Salt! Stay tuned for Part 2 of the MR VOORHEES cover to hear from The Chef!