When you get four artists like AKM, Cowboy, Darby, and ...Punty? together something epic is bound to happen! That's exactly what took place on 4/20/2017 at Illuzion Glass Galleries' downtown Denver, Colorado, location. The day began early for the artists as there was much prep work and planning for the night to come. Fans and collectors gathered around the viewing window as the industry's best began their mega collab to celebrate every enthusiast's favorite day!
Cowboy adding opal encasements
They worked all day while massive crowds flooded into the gallery to watch live glass blowing, and to take advantage of Illuzion Glass Galleries' annual "Buy One, Get One for $4.20" sale. Many new pieces of solo work and collaborative pieces were displayed behind the viewing window, along with artist apparel and the event's official poster.
The Illuzion Glass Galleries 4/20 Poster
Freddy's Cuisine food truck catered to the hungry party goers out back throughout the night while the artists captivated the crowd inside the gallery. Other additions to the festivities included: body painting by David Caballero inside the studio, fire dancers, a lounge, beverages, and all around good vibes. Guest appearances by Buck, JD Maplesden, Shackman, BMFT, Burtoni, Eric from AGE, Kuhns, and Dabbing Granny were also a treat!
The finished results were definitely worth the wait when everything finally wrapped up around 2 AM. Three collaborative pendants and the annual 420 piece were created in front of the live crowd. The first pendant was an AKM x Darby Illuminati over Watermelon skull and the other two were rainbow linework tubing Cowboy x AKM skulls wigged to perfection.
AKM X Darby Illuminati Watermelon Pendant
The party piece itself was outrageous! The piece consisted of a large AKM skull split perfectly in half between Darby's dichro Watermelon tubing and Cowboy's rainbow lined tubing. Other features of the mega collab were Cowboy tile stacks, large encased opals, cacti, and cow skulls. The mouthpiece was later faceted and a signature AKM murrine slide was added to the piece. Each artist's unique style was represented to the fullest.
Many memories and friendships were made manifesting another epic party at Illuzion Glass Galleries. Many thanks to all of the artists, collectors, and guests that attended the event! The pieces that were made during the party are available to be seen in person at our Denver Glass Gallery. Stay tuned for our next First Friday Event!