Glass Issue
GLASS ART BY CONTRABASSO
WES ABNEY CEO & FOUNDER
wes@leafmagazines.com
MIKE RICKER OPERATING PARTNER ricker@leafmagazines.com
TOM BOWERS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER tom@leafmagazines.com
DANIEL BERMAN CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER daniel@leafmagazines.com
AMANDA LOPEZ STATE CONTENT DIRECTOR amanda@leafmagazines.com
MAKANI NELSON STATE SALES DIRECTOR makani@leafmagazines.com (808) 754-4182
BOBBY BLACK LEAF BOWL DIRECTOR & HISTORIAN bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com
MATT JACKSON SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD mattjackson@leafmagazines.com
Editor’s Note ABOUT THE COVER
It’s back and hotter than ever: our flame-blown, smoldering and, yes, still red-hot Glass Issue spectacular!
For every year that our magazine has been in print, the Leaf has dedicated one special edition to the magic of functional, high-end glass artistry.
On the cover is a stunning piece by the late Contrabasso Glass, captured by longtime Leaf photog Wind Home. Learn more about Contrabasso in a tribute from Terpodactyl Media on the final page of the issue, pg. 54.
PHOTO BY WIND HOME @WINDHOME | @CONTRABASSO
CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY, FEATURES
AJ AGUILAR, FEATURES
DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN
BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES
JACKIE BRYANT, FEATURES
TOM BOWERS, FEATURES
JEFF DIMARCO, PHOTOS
DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES + PHOTOS
JULIUS GUTIERREZ, PHOTOS
REX HILSINGER, FEATURES + PHOTOS
ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES
WIND HOME, PHOTOS
MATT JACKSON, FEATURES
JAMIE OWENS, FEATURES + PHOTOS
MITCHELL PETERSON, PHOTOS
SARAH SANDOVAL, SALES
TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS
BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES
KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES
MICHELLE NARANJO & CARA WIETSTOCK COPYDESK michelle@leafmagazines.com | cara@leafmagazines.com
JAMIE ZILL, PHOTOS
We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in an upcoming issue of Oregon Leaf. We do not sell stories or coverage. Email makani@leafmagazines.com to learn more about our range of affordable print and digital advertising options to help support Oregon Leaf, the state’s longest-running Cannabis magazine!
Thanks for picking up The Glass Issue of the Leaf!
Art is one of the few pillars of the old world remaining, endur ing because nothing more beautiful than artistic expression has ever come from huma n hands.
While many think of classical fine art as the “Mona Lisa” or Claude Monet’s impressionism pieces hanging in fancy museums, the most OG art is in the form of stained glass in churches and cathedrals around the world.
Glass can hold color and shape for hundreds or even thousands o f years without fading or degrading like a painting.
At the Metz Cathedral in France, this magical display of glass and light is on full display. It’s known as “God’s Lantern” for the amount of light coming through the nearly 70,000 square feet of stained glass windows, which depict religious scenes with glass set as far back as the year 1250.
Before there were TVs or screens, artists created famous scenes in glass and constructed not just windows, but unique goblets, jew elry and other forms of art that have lasted through the centuries.
Made in fourth-century Rome, the "Lycurgus Cup" is one of the earliest examples of silver and gold fuming in glass, giving the majestically crafted vessel different colors depending on light passing through and whether it holds liquid or not.
"I’VE SEEN PEOPLE RIGHTFULLY CARE FOR THEIR MOTHERSHIP DAB RIGS WITH THE SAME ATTENTION AND REVERENCE AS THEIR CLASSIC CARS.”
This type of art can’t be generated with artificial intelligence and can’t be mass-produced in a factory. A combination of heat, color and passion pours out of the artist and into molten glass, reforming and shaping it into something beautiful that, if properly cared for, can last forever.
Most unique of all is the fragility, the nature of glass being that it can break. You can’t really break a painting or a bronze statue, but glass art is especially valuable and unique because of the care involved.
I’ve seen people rightfully care for their Mothership dab rigs with the same attention and reverence as their classic cars.
With all respect to glass artists, from stained to soft glass t o the borosilicate community, our favorite glass pieces are the ones that get us high, which this magazine celebrates.
I’m proud to say that our 15th annual Glass Issue is our best one yet!
TO ALL THE PIECES WE’VE LOVED AND LOST
Today, I write to you from the depths of pure devastation. Recently, my beloved little bowl leaped out of my handbag and crashed onto the tile below, shattering into a few big, unmistakable pieces. Not a crack. Not a chip. Total annihilation. My stomach instantly dropped. My chest clenched. And then, dramatically but also completely sincerely, I actually started crying. If you’ve ever broken a piece you actually loved, you already understand the scale of this reaction. It’s disproportionate, sure. It’s also completely correct.
WAS MY PIECE, MY LITTLE SIDEKICK. It came everywhere with me and served me well for a few years, which by any measure is a long-term relationship. Long ago, a friend gave it to me — I haven’t seen them in years, but the pipe stuck around, which felt like a small, useful physical talisman forever marking our connection in time and space. It was tangible. It held memories. It held routine. It held, quite literally, the shape of my hand — until it didn’t.
There’s something uniquely brutal about the way glass breaks — not just physically, but existentially. One second, it’s intact, integrated into your life, part of your daily sensory rotation.
The next, it’s a pile of fragments you can’t fix or glue back into anything functional. You can’t pretend that it’s the same object. There’s no slow fade; just a hard stop.
I did what any rational person would do: I tried to assign meaning to it. It was Mercury retrograde
— fitting, actually — and Instagram assured me that we were all in a period of releasing what no longer serves us, on top of it. Fine. Sure. If my spoon was cosmically destined to exit my life, who was I to argue?
This is, of course, bullshit. But it’s elegant bullshit, and sometimes that’s enough to get you through the first 24 hours. Because the real issue isn’t just that it broke. It’s that a glass piece, if it’s a good one, is never just a thing. It’s functional art in the most literal sense — you don’t hang it on a wall, you mostly, actually live with it. You handle it constantly. You build rituals around it. It becomes embedded in your muscle memory in a way that’s hard to replicate with anything else.
It’s a friend. A good piece changes your Cannabis experience by shaping and refining it. It becomes the portal between you and the plant. And portals are sacred spaces!
And then, because it’s glass, it reminds you that none of that is permanent. There’s a lesson in there, if you want one. Something about attachment, about fragility, about the risk inherent in loving objects that are designed — beautifully, inevitably — to break.
Or, more realistically, there’s just this: If you’re going to care about your pieces — and you should, because that’s half the point — you also have to accept that one day, probably at the worst possible moment, you’re going to watch one hit the ground and shatter. And it’s going to feel bad.
If my spoon was cosmically destined to exit my life, who was I to argue?
Which means when it’s gone, it takes a small but specific version of your life with it. That’s the part that catches you off guard. Not the inconvenience — though, yes, suddenly you don’t have your preferred way to smoke, which is its own kind of crisis — but the absence of something that felt quietly essential.
You’ll replace it, eventually. You’ll find another one that fits in your hand the right way, that earns its place in your rotation, that starts to accumulate its own set of associations. It won’t be the same, which is exactly why this one will stick. But for a minute — or an hour, or a day or however long your grief lasts — you’re just standing there, looking at the pieces, thinking: Well, fuck. And honestly? That’s part of it, too. Thanks for the memories; onto the next piece we go.
FIRE FOLLOWER A NEW BLOOM FOR BLUEBERRY STRAINS
TERPHOGZ’S NEW BLOOBERRY LINE GOES UP AGAINST BLUE CAVIAR, BLUE LOBSTER AND MORE
Consumers and growers are in for the kind of competition that we can all rally behind: a tussle for who has the loudest blueberry terpenes in the Cannabis game.
Terphogz — the California-based popularizers of Zkittlez (known as The Original Z, or just “Z”) — debuted five new Blueberry strains dubbed the “Blooberry Line” for spring. Terphogz’s managing director, Jon “Jondo” Orantes, said, “It’s begun, the blueberry wars have.”
The declaration encapsulates a simmering trend in contemporary ganja, with peer brand Cookies selling Blueberry Caviar flower. Berner is developing new crosses from it with award-winning Ridgeline Farms. Blue Lobster nabbed a nomination for 2025 Leafly Strain of the Year. Blue Nerdz continues to dominate. I’ve smoked all of these strains — they’re fire.
TERPHOGZ
BLOOBERY
Let’s get into the Terphogz Blooberry drop first.
Terphogz has released about 30 to 50 regular seed packs of Blooberry Headband (707 Headband x Bell Springs Blooberry), Blooberry Pie (Z-Pie x Bell Springs Blooberry), Blooberry Zruntz ((Z x Runtz) x Bell Springs Blooberry), IC Bloobies ((Ice Cream Cake x Sherbert) x Bell Springs Blooberry) and Black Truffle Blooberry (Black Truffle Gelato x Bell Springs Blooberry).
The priciest is the Blooberry Headband at $269 for 10, which tells you where the hype is at. The rest of the set goes for $240 for 10.
Why this drop now? Terphogz has a hit with 2023’s Blooberry Z (Dankster Blooberry x Z), which is $180 for 10, and its 2025 offspring Bloogatti (Bubblegum Gelato x Blooberry Z). Bloogatti remains available for $220.
For this new Blooberry line, Terphogz co-founder Tony Mendo said the team went back to some early 2000s Blueberry work. They selected a new male based on taste, referred to as Bell Springs Blooberry, and pollinated Terphogz’s whole lineup with it. The tastiest standouts made the cut listed above.
Some are good for hash, others are good for flower. Orantes recommends the Blooberry Pie (Z-Pie x Bell Springs Blooberry), as well as the Blooberry Headband (707 Headband x Bell Springs Blooberry) for hash production.
Blooberry Pie should yield more and finish faster, with a wholesome blueberry pie aroma and flavor. The Blooberry Headband may take longer and yield less, but it has the most hype. The Headband and blueberry terps hit like a musical mix of high and low frequencies.
Each regular pack should have the typical polyhybrid spread of phenotypes: a mom-leaner, a dad-leaner, several hybrids of both parents and a recessive weirdo.
Award-winning journalist, author and former Leafly senior editor David Downs’s monthly genetics intelligence dispatch.
BLOOBERRY ZRUNTZ
UMMA SONOMA BLUE LOBSTER
Mendo said growers can expect “more of a broader spectrum as far as the Blueberry lineage goes, as well as some of those deep killer blueberry jelly terps.”
Orantes said, “If you’re like me, you’re just praying for the weirdo ones.”
Blooberry Zruntz ((Z x Runtz) x Bell Springs Blooberry), IC Bloobies ((Ice Cream Cake x Sherbert) x Bell Springs Blooberry) and Black Truffle Blooberry (Black Truffle Gelato x Bell Springs Blooberry) will be your top 40 radio hits for cash cropping.
BLUE BELLES
In honor of the blueberry bloom of 2026, here’s a roundup of Blueberry strains we’re seeing out there.
All respect goes to Oregon breeder, legend and super-nice guy DJ Short. His 1998 F4 Blueberry is $59 for four feminized seeds.
DJ Short told the Leaf that the Blueberry cultivar stays uniquely effective, and it’s always satiating.
THE HEADBAND AND BLUEBERRY TERPS HIT LIKE A MUSICAL MIX OF HIGH AND LOW FREQUENCIES.
“I call it tolerance threshold, or burnout, and Blueberry shines there,” he said. “It’s the sense of satisfaction that applies beautifully to the Blueberry. That’s why she’s holding through this test of time.”
DJ Short’s son continues the mission as the brand Blue Star Seed Co. with Candied Blueberries F1 (Zkittlez x 1998 F4 Blueberry S1) and Stoned Berry F1 (Chem D x 1998 F4 Blueberry S1), which he said has “pungent, raunchy, chemical-diesel aromas with grape hash, apple cider and berry pastry notes.”
The brand Life is an Adventure has a Blue Cheese (Big Buddha Cheese x Blueberry) that’s $25 for three fems.
Atlas Seeds sells a Blue Dream Auto (Blue Dream Auto x Blue Dream Auto) that “can be set loose outdoors and it does its thing without a lot of fuss,” according to its product description. In clone form, the widely respected Rebel Grown also has Blue Dream cuts for $99.
New in 2026, Blueberry Honey from Humboldt Seed Company smells and tastes just like it sounds.
Got a favorite blue strain we missed? Send recommendations to david.downs@gmail.com
TERPHOGZ
COOKIES BLUEBERRY CAVIAR
GLASS FROM THE PAST
Remembering the smoking apparatuses from throughout my weed-smoking life
I’m just going to get my ultimate weed confession out right here at the top: I am a terrible joint roller. Sure, I can get together a smokable joint in a pinch. Last year, I was on a rooftop terrace in Barcelona, Spain, with rolling papers, a grinder and a jar of Garlic Budder, and I made it work.
LIKE THE BEATLES LYRICS, “I get high with a little help from my friends.” I’m lucky that many of the people I typically hang with all know how to roll joints better than I do. Because of the master rollers in my weed-loving circles, I get away with smoking a lot of Cannabis that I did not have to roll up myself, but I also generally have a backup option.
I typically carry a glass pipe in my purse as a just-in-case alternative. I’ve also been known to stuff cones (a nice joint option because they don’t require licking the seal, which is sort of unsanitary if you think about it).
I have fond memories of my first pipes. When I got my first job at a Cannabis magazine, my then-boss gave me a pipe as a gift. It will always be a favorite, as it represents success in a field that was initially just something I loved and then turned into a job. Early on, I invested in a padded pipe-carrying pouch that could hold my pipe, a little weed and a lighter.
Pipes are my main option for on-the-go smoking, but bongs have also always had a place in my heart for at-home smoke seshes. When I was younger, my friends had a 4-foot plastic bong from Graffix with a scary clown face on it. A friend had to light the bowl for you, and while it did get you super ripped, it wasn’t the best-tasting hit because it was made of plastic. Smoking out of glass just tastes better.
I had some basic bongs back in the day, but my first real bong purchase happened because of my job in weed journalism. Back then, I got to travel a lot for work. One place I frequently visited was a glass show in Las Vegas. I worked the magazine booth, getting the word out about what we were writing, and I would walk the floor on my break.
This show, CHAMPS Trade Show, featured cool activations, including live glassblowing demonstrations and a glass car demolition derby. There was a lot of glass for sale, and I bought a green bong with a big glass marble and an extra glass swirl around the outside. I got a great deal on the bong because I was at a business-to-business show, and then the shop owner shipped it to my house so I wouldn’t have to worry about breaking it on the flight home. I smoked out of that bong for a long time, but at some point, it must have broken because I don’t have it anymore. More than a decade ago, at my first job in Cannabis journalism, I was lucky to work in an office where I could have a bong on my desk. Even though we weren’t supposed to smoke in the office, some rules are meant to be broken. We tried to be respectful of the other offices around us, and every once in a while, we’d hit the bong and blow the smoke out the window. When the COVID-19 pandemic closed our office for good in 2020, I inherited the bong. It’s pretty amazing, with multiple chambers to filter the water.
Nowadays, I use another bong from that era, which was sent to me as a gift, as my travel bong. I have a large padded bag for it that I use as sort of a briefcase whenever I’m on a reporting assignment where there might be an opportunity to sample some flowers.
I recently got to do a taste-testing session with my main weed mentor, Cannabis cultivation expert Ed Rosenthal, and everyone was impressed that I brought my own bong. I knew I wouldn’t be able to roll up respectable joints, so I brought my bong to make sure I could sample all the weed on offer that night.
My new favorite bong is from Jerome Baker Designs. When I was a youth, the bongs I coveted were from Jerome Baker Designs. Established in Eugene, Oregon, in the early ’90s, Jerome Baker was one of the leading Cannabis glass companies throughout the ’90s and early 2000s.
Smoking out of glass just tastes better.
In 2003, Jerome Baker, aka Jason Harris, was arrested by federal agents as part of Operation Pipe Dreams, a nationwide crackdown on Cannabis accessories. Harris had his assets seized and was sentenced to one year of house arrest and five years of federal probation.
In 2012, after Colorado’s recreational Cannabis legalization, Harris
relaunched the original Jerome Baker Designs and established the Las Vegas Dream Factory at its headquarters in downtown Las Vegas. In 2024, I went to Jimi Devine’s Heat Quest in Las Vegas and smoked off of the bong gifted to him by Jerome Baker. Once I tried it, I decided to fulfill my youthful dream of having one, so I contacted them and paid a visit to the Dream Factory I love my bong and how it rumbles when I hit it. I love how stoned I get when I smoke off of a bong. I recently had a party where I was encouraging my guests to hit it. Remembering my glass from days of yore brings me back. These are physical touchstones from my life, artistic tributes that mark my love for a flower.
“We basically just want to sell fresh, sticky, dank flower that you want to smoke yourself.”
TREEHOUSE COLLECTIVE
What
better way to truly enjoy and appreciate glass art than by using it to dab some hash or pack a fire bowl of flower? That’s where a trip to the dispensary transcends getting high and becomes an
exercise in enhancing the way
FOR THIS MONTH’S SHOP REVIEW, TreeHouse Collective — a Portland-based, independently owned and operated business with its finger on the pulse of both the Cannabis and glass industries — was a natural choice.
Originally opened in 2013, THC started making a name for itself with patients in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program before recreational legalization. In 2014, they moved locations to Sandy Boulevard, and then just two years ago, expanded their canopy to include a second shop in St. Johns. With expanded geographic coverage, the new store serves as a neighborhood hub and a destination for travelers driving up and down Interstate 5.
Walking into THC, there is a clear intention in curating an environment that shows respect to Cannabis counterculture beyond simple retail design.
There are fragmented blotter sheets made by local glassblowing maestro Mike Gong, hand-drawn designs by famous tattoo artist Winston the Whale and even a large mural outside the building by graffiti legend GATS.
Both store locations also feature a display case filled with awe-inspiring pieces by popular flameworkers, such as Kid Glass, Cowboy Glass, Cody Olson and Blueberry Glass.
“I’m a smoker, so I really don’t want anyone to ever leave our shop feeling like they didn’t get the right product.”
With a diverse array of choices from concentrates to topicals, it would be difficult for prospective clientele to walk out of the store dissatisfied.
TREEHOUSE COLLECTIVE
5701 N. LOMBARD ST., PORTLAND
Flower is a highly sought-after item for shoppers at THC, with a lineup of some of the most popular farms in Oregon, like Evans Creek Farms, Deep Creek Gardens, Tao Gardens, Herbal Dynamics and Urban Canna. Harvest dates are listed on every jar, and the dispensary focuses on carrying manageable amounts of each strain to maintain quality standards. The idea is to emphasize freshness and a more dynamic selection.
TREEHOUSECOLLECTIVEPDX.COM
@THC.LOMBARD @THCONSANDY
10 A.M.-8 P.M. DAILY (503) 240-1751
“Prices aren’t necessarily the thing. We don’t care about testing. We basically just want to sell fresh, sticky, dank flower that you want to smoke yourself,” Justin Baker, co-owner of THC, explained.
Budtenders are highly knowledgeable and utilize a nonpushy, customer-driven approach, which helps strengthen the overall shopping experience.
At the end of the day, co-owners and long-time friends Baker and Nathan Roszina have created an elevated Cannabis dispensary by authentically leaning into their love of the culture and their passion for the plant. From greenery to glass, visitors to Tree House Collective are in for a genuine adventure.
“We’re just lucky to be here. … If anything, we are just grateful for the culture, for the state for allowing us to do what we do, for our budtenders and especially for the customer base. Our gratitude (for the customers) is huge,” Baker concluded.
SNAFU
KID GLASS
RYNO X COWBOY
CR GLASSWORKS X GASP
Starters Coming Soon! Starters Coming Soon!
AvAilAble this spring for the first time ever At select retAilers!
AvAilAble this spring for the first time ever At select retAilers!
*SelectStrains
*Limited Quantities
*Retailers: Place Orders Early!
“It feels like I’m playing with lava. I’ll go watch the lava flow, then go straight into the shop and work with something similar.”
THE LAVA BENEATH MY FEET THE LAVA BENEATH MY FEET
HOW HAWAIIAN LINEAGE, BREATH, SAND AND FLAME SHAPE THE ART OF JULIUS GUTIERREZ
There is a moment on the Big Island of Hawaii when your breath slows to the tempo of the crashing waves, you notice the salt and ash in the breeze and you are struck by the sense that Earth is a living ancestor.
MAYBE IT’S THE MOLTEN LAVA running through the Earth’s caverns beneath your feet, a reminder that this land is the domain of Tutu Pele, the fire goddess of Hawaii. She is our great-grandmother, an ancestral spirit to be respected, honored and approached with deep humility. The type of humble respect a glassblower embodies when the alchemy of these fragile yet timeless creations begins.
It is in this reverence that Julius Gutierrez steps into a relationship with grandfather fire, not as a tool, but as a living elder, one that echoes the same elemental energy as the lava rivers of Pele herself.
At Moe Hot Glass, guided by master glassblower Daniel Moe, Gutierrez has spent eight years shaping more than glass. He is shaping story, lineage and elemental memory, drawing from a land where fire is both destroyer and creator, where Pele’s breath reshapes the island in real time.
Can you introduce yourself in your own words and share what’s been moving through your world lately?
“I’m a farmer, a father, a psychonaut exploring biology, chemistry and playing with different elements,” Gutierrez said. “Nature moves through my reality daily and inspires my work.”
You carry Peruviano and Braziliano roots while living on the Big Island. How do your bloodlines and the land beneath your feet shape the way you approach the flame?
He speaks of Peru first, of tight-knit Indigenous South American roots bound by the joy of a big familia. It was his familia’s move to Hawaii that awakened his awareness to a deep systemic concern for native sovereignty.
“Seeing what happened here to the Kanaka Maoli tribes lit a fire in me to help represent Indigenous voices,” Gutierrez shared.
His pieces carry that intention: Hawaiian lineage patterns, tribal geometries etched not as decoration, but as protection, remembrance and resistance. In many ways, they mirror the markings of the land itself, lava fissures and flows shaped by Pele’s hand.
Our readers love Pakalolo. Do you have a favorite strain or preferred method of consumption?
“A good homegrown Super Silver Haze,” Gutierrez said. “I prefer to dab uplifting strains because they are simple, clean and quick.”
Have you blown your own smoke chalices?
“In my intro to glass class at the university, they told us we can't create bongs. So naturally, I made it a point to create a few of them,” he said with a smirk of rebellion. “Those pieces, once everyday tools, are now cherished artifacts marking the beginning of my collection.”
Many people see glassblowing as a craft, but others feel it is a ceremony. What does it represent to you?
“I feel like the very act of glassblowing is ceremonial,” he said. “When you get into the flow state with the flame, it’s like a trance, everything else falls away.” Here, fire becomes more than heat; it becomes a teacher. The process demands full presence, where breath and flame cocreate form.
Living on an island where lava flows beneath the surface, do you feel a relationship between your work and that living earth energy?
“It feels like I’m playing with lava,” he said. “I’ll go watch the lava flow, then go straight into the shop and work with something similar.”
The connection is visceral. Lava and glass are both born of heat, both carrying the story of transformation.
He dreams of one day creating glass directly from Hawaii’s own silica, allowing Pele’s body to become the medium.
There’s an alchemy to turning sand into glass. What does that transformation teach you?
“It teaches you to stay levelheaded and to let go. Glass breaks. You have to practice nonattachment,” he said.
“There is humility in the flame. No matter the skill, no piece is guaranteed. Beauty can collapse in an instant, just as land can be reshaped overnight by lava’s flow.”
In this way, the practice becomes spiritual, an ongoing lesson in surrender to forces greater than oneself.
Gutierrez works primarily with soft glass, an ancient form known for its fluidity and sensitivity. Unlike more rigid materials, it requires constant attention.
“You’re fully dancing with it,” he explained. “The process is physical, sweat, movement, breath, an orchestration of body and molten elements.”
That intimacy gives his pieces a living qual ity. His lava vessels feel like they’re still flowing, like they could shift at any moment. His ocean forms hold motion within stillness, echoing the meeting place of land and sea.
“In those moments, the boundary between studio and landscape dissolves. The furnace becomes a contained volcano, the blowpipe an extension of breath,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve even joked about blowing glass from the lava herself.”
One sculptural piece — an open, womb-like form lined with crystalline green — was inspired by the place his daughter, Andará, was conceived, merging land, lineage and life into a single form.
What do you hope people feel when they hold your work?
“Childlike wonder,” he said simply. “Curiosity for under standing how these pieces were made.”
Perhaps that is the true medicine of his work, not just the visual representation of the objects themselves, but the feeling they awaken. A return to the youthful essence of awe.
In a world that often forgets its connection to the elements, Gutierrez stands in the fire as both student and storyteller. Through flame and form, he reminds us OGs that creativity is a living ceremony in motion.
TrulyTreets coming soon
Natural Ratios, How Nature Intended
A bit of mystery is the spice of life. If you’re a lover of Cannabis plant lineages, then your palate is probably prepared for more than mild. Phenotypes fly around, cuts are communal and names are nudged away from their origins.
THIS MONTH’S concentrate selection from Eastwood Gardens in Portland represents just that in ripe, rippin’, rosin form.
The Eastwood Gardens crew confirmed that this cut is a Seed Junky Genetics cross of Sunset Sherbet (sometimes called Sunset Sherbert) and Animal Cookies Bx2. However, there’s a little mystery behind what this pheno’s official name will be. So, you’ll have to keep an eye on Eastwood to see what the team settles on. That doesn’t deter us from diving into the doughy dabs dished out in this collaboration with Roots Rosin, a name that may be familiar from its own label or work with brands like Brave Hearts.
New tire notes emerged from this jar of rosin and melted into a creamy green essence. The aroma entered the nostrils with the crispness of fresh-cut grass, continuing through the olfactory senses as something sweeter and melon-like — cucumber-y, even. There are layers to love here. Sip this at a steady pace, and you may open up everything from pepper to perfume. This dab hit heavily in the eyes but blossomed into something that was neither sleepy nor speedy — perfect for folks who want focus without sacrificing serenity.
WE LOVE a good grower recommendation. So, when Jacob Walls of Yummy Farms, who helped the Kanaba team source and set up its genetics, suggested the brand’s Old Fashioned Sunshine cultivar, we were intrigued. “If you love the taste of an old fashioned without the alcohol flavor, you are going to love this round (of Old Fashioned Sunshine). Smoky dehydrated blood orange and pepper terps,” Walls explained. Bred by Jinxproof, the cultivar is a cross of 9lb Hammer and an unknown varietal that was preserved and sent over by a grower in Japan; a true “exotic,” for those who love to toss the word around. The robust bouquet is equally exotic. It’s spicy, sweet, then tart with a juicy, savory component (easily mistaken for meaty) that flutters in and out of focus. Trop Cherry-like flavors tingle the tongue as the smoke rolls around. Could this be a trait of the unknown varietal, or is it just our senses swimming in the citrus and cherry happy hour hit that the name hails to? We can’t confirm either way, but our taste buds tell their own story. We encourage you to let yours do the same. Old Fashioned Sunshine is a refreshing exploration that doesn’t require waiting until it’s “five o’clock somewhere.”
Farm
A small team runs Kanaba Farm in Sherwood, where they’re not just cultivating, they’re innovating. Owner Jin Zhu founded Sunscape LED in 2015, and he’s since been able to test, utilize, optimize and customize these canna-catered lights in realtime through Kanaba’s production. This is where science and smokeability meet!
“If you love the taste of an old fashioned without the alcohol flavor, you are going to love this round.”
ra glass
Raul Rangel, aka Ra Glass, is a Portland-based flameworker utilizing an open-flame torch to handcraft masterpieces.
WITH HIS ODYSSEY into glass beginning in 2012, Rangel has accrued over a decade of combined experience in the art form.
“Glassblowing was just something that I fell in love with,” Rangel explained. “After my mom passed, I didn’t have a lot of things that I really cared about. But glassblowing was just something that I enjoyed doing. It really helped me through that time … I spent probably 12 hours a day just wanting to be on the torch.”
A self-taught artisan, Rangel dedicated a large portion of his early years to refining his craft, making pipes and mini tubes and perfecting his wigwag technique. Around 2019, his work took on a new trajectory, moving into multipiece, elaborate functionals.
That is when his Scarab series was born. Illustrated as a visually distinct recycler with a large donut in the middle and curved “arms” on the side, each piece has a symmetrical form reminiscent of a giant beetle. The scarab represents rebirth and transformation in Egyptian culture.
For Rangel, it was also a proving ground as a glassblower.
“If you look at the beginning pieces, one through five, then 45 through 49, there’s a big difference,” Rangel said. “I honed a lot of skills in that series.”
With a goal of evolving as an artist, Rangel capped his trademark Scarab series at number 50. He then prototyped until a blueprint of what would eventually become his “Lightbender” was created.
“The design is a play on something that’s a piece, but also visually looks like something else too,” Rangel explained.
A wizard of flamework and function, Rangel’s art radiates sheer brilliance, beauty and talent in a way that fully substantiates his sun deity namesake.
EYE OF RA
LIGHT BENDER
RA GLASS RIG LINEUP
SCARAB
“Lightbender” mimics a microscope, complete with a magnifying lens. Depending on the artistic style of the piece, the lens is positioned over an encased opal, millie or wigwag, enlarging the image. This technique was recently remixed with his Eye of Ra pendants, which can be worn as a necklace and also double as heady jewelers’ loupes.
As an artist, Rangel is constantly challenging himself and testing new concepts. Some glassblowers may spend a lifetime on a specific technique, but he embraces learning new approaches like millefiori, fuming and sculpting.
“I’m really drawn to the aspects of all of it, like that challenge,” Rangel said. “Every time I feel a little bored or stagnant, there’s always something to dive into and learn and challenge myself.”
It’s difficult to overstate the uniqueness and aesthetic of Rangel’s work. Each dab rig hits with perfect precision. No matter what he constructs, the craftsmanship and personal touch present in each project are incomparable.
“I’ve always just tried to be humble and do the best that I can to not put out things that are subpar,” Rangel stated.
A wizard of flamework and function, Rangel’s art radiates sheer brilliance, beauty and talent in a way that fully substantiates his sun deity namesake. The future of glassblowing looks brighter with artists like Ra Glass holding down the torch.
GLASS TIP, MARBLES AND A PENDY
INSET
PHOTOS BY JAMIE OWENS
mothership glass x dustin brandon
Professional athlete. Comedian. Civil rights advocate. Musician. Dustin Brandon has held many titles throughout his life. For the past nine years, he has worked tirelessly to establish himself as an irrefutable pillar of the Cannabis community.
“I CAME INTO this community as a medical patient,” Brandon explained. “This plant saved my life. My disability is brittle bones, called osteogenesis imperfecta, from birth. I'm 42 years old, and I've broken and fractured over 850 bones throughout my life. I've had close to 75 surgeries.”
Brandon’s story is one of strength and resilience. Despite trauma, tragedy and a recent bout with COVID that nearly took his life, Brandon has consistently faced adversity and bounced back with unyielding perseverance.
That’s where Mothership Glass comes into the story.
Forged in fire, crafted with care and annealed with meticulous effort and dedication, Mothership produces some of the highest quality functional glass art in the entire world. Captained by innovative artist Scott Deppe, the enterprise is a collective of some of the most prodigious glassblowers in their field.
“I approached Mothership, and I said, ‘I think there’s an area we can fill here in regards to the disabled community.’”
“I grew up in a tough upbringing, from foster care to state-run facilities, and a school for kids with disabilities,” Brandon said. “My sister and I got split up. Her name was Felicia, a year younger than me. In 2018, she lost her life to suicide. When I lost her, it took a while to figure out if I could even come back from that. But eventually I figured out how to develop myself all over again, through her, for her. She's my reason for everything.”
-Dustin Brandon
“I approached Mothership, and I said, ‘I think there’s an area we can fill here in regards to the disabled community, not just making glass more accessible for people with disabilities, but as a whole, around the entire community… How can we have disability inclusion?’” Brandon recalled.
Mothership invited Brandon to their base of operations in Bellingham, Washington. He tested their entire range of products and took measurements, all with a goal of designing the perfect consumption experience.
individual functional needs. They sketched out a plan for a special one-of-one design inspired by his sister, known as “Felicia’s Gift.”
The rig is a Torus/Fab Torus recycler with a sunflower motif and “Felicia’s Gift” engraved at the base. It features a wider base for stability, slightly longer drains for hand grip and a ground-out, interchangeable neck equipped with attachments of different angles, including a hookah hose for increased ergonomic versatility.
“This piece means a lot to me, not only to be a voice for the disabled community, throughout accessibility, through glass and in which ways we consume our medicine, but in how we heal ourselves,” Brandon explained.
Deppe showed care and consideration during the visit. He personally set up the rigs, altered table heights and dialed in water levels to provide the perfect experience. He even surprised Brandon with an accessory — a topper for a Slurper-style banger — still warm out of the kiln.
“We want to help everyone out and lift everyone up,” Johnson stated. “It's a lot for us to be able to make a piece like this. And I'm happy we're going to be the ones doing it.”
“It’s an honor,” Deppe added. “We just want everybody to have the best smoking experience possible. That's what Mothership is about. So, if we can do something to make it more comfortable or more fun for somebody, we're going to do it.”
With this significant push forward for the accessibility conversation, Brandon’s story has come full circle. After nine years of grinding hard in the Cannabis industry, he finds himself serving as an advocate not just for himself, but for the greater Cannabis and disability communities as a whole.
“It’s not only about accessibility, but about encouraging people with disabilities to be part of the journey,” Brandon explained.
“I hope this gets the conversation going in the glass community and even in the Cannabis community — from grows to work stations and everything in between.”
Over this last year, he diligently rebuilt his health and dove headfirst back into the Cannabis and glass communities.
Deppe, Justin Johnson and Colin Taylor of Mothership joined Brandon to discuss accessibility in functional glass and creating a piece tailored to his
A huge amount of appreciation to Dustin and and Mothership for inviting Leaf Magazines into this important conversation on accessibility in Cannabis, and a special shoutout to Crystal Hoffman (@hashinit_) and Jeff Hooten (@casedgod) for coming along for the ride.
Dustin Brandon, left, and Mothership Glass Founder Scott Deppe, dabbing it up in Bellingham, Wash.
Photo By Terpodactyl Media
glass collaborations
For this year’s annual Glass Issue, the Leaf team decided to deep dive into collaborations. These amazing works of art come to fruition when multiple artists combine their different techniques to create something out of this world. Whether crafted by a couple of shop mates or 12 people at a national event, the outcomes show that the best things come from working together. Join us in celebrating these collaborations. Some of them are the latest, and some of them are legends. Turn the pages slowly and enjoy.
Nate Dizzle @swissperc Snic Barnes @snicbarnesglass (FB) swissperc
Gold-plated medium classic with quartz crystal on the base and fluorite on the swoop
Ram’s classic gun style complemented with hearts by JOP
Joshua Opdenaker J_opdenaker_jop
Ram Mickelsen @ramickelsen
COLLABS
25 years of combined excellence join forces for the first time
Basso’s “Singularity” recycler design adorned with Eusheen’s reticello pattern
Banjo @banjoglass Zach Puchowitz @ouchkick
Abracadevi
blue inferno
E ects: Euphoric, Relaxing, Balanced
Flavors: Berry Candy, Creamy Gas, Citrus
Aroma: Sweet, Gassy, Fruity
Lineage: Dante’s Wrath x Blue Nerdz
COLLABS
I n f u s e d C o o k i n g O i l 1000mg
COLLABS
@banjoglass / @justincarterglass / @pipemaker / @blackfireglassworks / @chacha_chainz / @philsiegelglass @frompy / @lilbearglass / @hardcore_toke / @pogoglass / @co_liicutz / @karmaglass420 Mega
Devi 12 artist UV-reactive masterpiece created for the greater good at the Michigan Glass Project
Chopsticks Sets
Emily Marie Glass @emilymarieglass
BEYOND the bong
While glass is often the backbone of the sesh, this art form can go far beyond functional smoking pieces. Check out our roundup redefining the unique uses of modern glassblowing.
diamond of the woods
Middleton Glassworks x Mr. Facet @middleton_glassworks @mr.facet
Cropel and Cucumber
Latticino Honey
Dichro Latte
Renzo Ferruzo Glass @renzoferruzoglass
the marble capital of the world
The Mile High City felt a little headier in March as the most passionate collectors and celebrated makers in contemporary glassmaking converged for the second annual Marble Conference. What began last year as a promising debut returned to Denver in 2026, with nearly twice as many attending artists and a huge outpouring of support from the broader glass community.
KNOWN AFFECTIONATELY as “MIBCON,” the two-day gathering at Void Studios featured a dynamic lineup of events celebrating modern glass culture. At the heart of it all was the Marble Market: a lively, farmers-market-style bazaar where avid collectors and curious newcomers alike could browse work from some of the most sought-after names in the scene. There were also tons of different ways to engage with artists beyond their booths, from a charity auction to high-energy marble races and even a hidden marble hunt around the venue and surrounding areas.
The artist roster truly showed out. Colorado standouts like Eusheen and N8 Miers, who operate out of Everdream Studio up in the mountains of Evergreen, were joined by an impressive lineup of visiting talent. Among them was Mike Gong, a past Oregon Leaf Glass Issue cover artist, and Kaj Beck, a murrine master from Humboldt County who has been crafting marbles since 1996.
Hanging out behind his table, covered with intricate millie slices and vividly patterned marbles of all sizes, Beck reflected on his first MIBCON experience.
“I always like the amount of variety when I come to a marble show like this. You get to see so many different styles on the same canvas. Everybody is working a sphere, but every table has something completely different,” he explained. This sense of range and individuality within a shared medium was definitely a common theme throughout the weekend.
>>CONTINUES NEXT PAGE
Bodor Glass
Mike Gong
Nathan Gorman Treezus Heist
Peter Boyle
Drinking Vessels & Jen Stark
PIPER DAN, a Colorado local and OG of marble making, reflected on his own personal journey and evolution in the craft. Starting on the torch in 1995 and getting into marbles just two years later, he recalls those early days with a fond laugh.
Marbles were simply “easier to sell on lot and bring into shows” than larger functional pieces. What started more as a matter of practicality has since blossomed into a thriving subculture.
Today, these marbles function far beyond just art objects; they’ve become personal talismans that are valued equally for their meaning as they are for their visual appeal.
Some simply carry them in their pocket, or a super heady pouch, because they feel it brings them a bit of luck or intention, similar to a crystal.
“Everybody is working a sphere, but every table has something completely different.”
-Kaj Beck
Avid collectors integrate them into their daily lives, bringing them along to concerts or running them under fresh water on nature adventures.
A few personal standouts from this year’s show were Eusheen and Yoshinori Kondo’s epic marble collab, which sparkled so bright that I nearly needed sunglasses, and Jen Stark’s highly anticipated first release of flameworked glass pieces. I was beyond stoked to score a pill made by ENS Glass out of Texas that features a trippy take on Stark’s signature rainbow patterns. Whether you gravitate toward geometric shapes and nature-inspired patterns or like to get lost in a fully-worked window to another world, there was truly a style for everyone to appreciate.
If this year’s MIBCON turnout (and the palpable excitement among artists and collectors) is any indication, the event reflects a broader shift in the glass scene. It marks a move away from viewing marbles as simple, nostalgic objects and toward recognizing them as an innovative, highly technical art form. And this art form is shaping the future of glassmaking — one sphere at a time.
MARBLECONFERENCE.COM @MARBLECONFERENCE
Alex Ubatuba x Jen Stark x ENS Glass Collab
Enjoying the show
Mike Gong
Kenan Tiemeyer x Swank Collab
N8 Miers
Lilbear x Pogo Collab
Attendee Collection
Newob Glass
Winning Wings
1
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
3.
Arrange
on a
MOROCCAN STYLE CHICKEN WINGS
Serving size: 4 wings
chicken wings 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
teaspoons kosher salt
teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup papaya juice
3 tablespoons garam masala Pinch cayenne (optional)
2 tablespoons canna-oil Chopped fresh cilantro
1. Prepare wings like steps 1-4 in the teriyaki recipe.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, pomegranate molasses, papaya juice, garam masala, cayenne, canna-oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Cook the sauce until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Once cooked, transfer wings to a large bowl. Pour sauce over the wings, and toss to coat evenly.
5. Arrange wings on a tray, and spoon over any leftover sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
TERIYAKI STYLE CHICKEN WINGS
and
any leftover sauce. Garnish with cheese and parsley.
When I asked a random sampling of Facebook friends what they most wanted to snack on for 420, the answer was loud and clear: wings. I’m currently enjoying cooking with sativa-dominant Crater Lake by Pruf Cultivar. It’s perfect for staying focused, excited and ready for some safe, legal 420 fun.
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Rinse the chicken wings and pat them dry. Cut off wing tips and discard. Separate wings at joints into 2 pieces.
3. Toss wings with vegetable oil, and spread out on baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn wings over and bake an additional 15 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted registers 150 F.
5. While wings are baking, in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the soy sauce, orange
and canna-oil.
6. Cook the sauce until it thickens, but do not go above a gentle simmer. Preserve the terpenes. Remove from
7. Once cooked, transfer wings to a large bowl. Pour sauce over the wings, and toss to coat evenly.
8. Arrange wings on a tray, and spoon over any leftover sauce. Garnish with cashews and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges. Serving Size: 4
MOROCCAN STYLE
TERIYAKI STYLE
1979-2025
Much like glass, life is beautiful and fragile. This year, the glass community lost a legend far too soon. With this cover, we’re honoring Elijah “Eli” Copeland, better known as Contrabasso. His sudden passing in July brought much sadness to a community that knew his kind spirit just as well as his incredible talent. His art will live on as his legacy.
Contrabasso
