Where fine art, psychedelia, and contemporary craft converge
Sculpture first, function second.
Each piece begins with a vision, a philosophy, and a painstaking commitment to sculptural detail. The flawless function and meticulous assembly honors the rich scientific tradition that is at the heart of the modern heady glass pipe movement today.
Hundreds of components - Hand-sculpted
Hundreds of individually hand-sculpted components comprise a highly mechanized framework of nuts, bolts, pistons and gears- often underpinning a multicolored array of organic, goddess -inspired imagery. each element is individually shaped at the torch, then assembled into a single piece. It can take weeks. You can see every hour of it.
From the road to the gallery
Drawing inspiration from the collaborative nature of the artists and musicians following the Grateful Dead music scene, Banjo combines a multitude of creative streams into one ever-flowing river of glass expression, informed by mentors as diverse as Paul Stankard, Alex grey, HR giger, and the late Juxtapoz magazine co-founder Greg Escalante.
The artist who made collectors out of non-collectors
Banjos work resides with discerning collectors who seek a meaningful personal connection with the art and artists. The form vs function argument falls away as both concepts synergistically merge and find their place in an ever -evolving cast of Interdimensional goddesses, biomechanical figures, and pop cultural icons.
Is it craft infused with a high degree of fine art expectation?
The banjo collector sees no distinction between the two concepts as both converge to propel this exciting modern art form further into mainstream appreciation with every new endeavor.
As an art school dropout, banjos path to becoming an accomplished artist involved many twists and turns including stints traveling with the nomadic rainbow family as well as hand-building guitars and banjos prior to discovering glass.
what started as necessity to feed his family turned into a 25year + practice that's landed his work in collections and galleries alongside the most respected visionary artists working today as well as a long list of legendary psychedelic OGs who have since passed on.
The work carries all of that history — when you see it, you can feel it.
