Chalice California 2016: prt.1

Chalice California is an annual festival held at the San Bernardino Fairgrounds in Victorville, California sponsored by Hitman Glass. It's been happening since 2014 and has been regarded as THE summer festival for hash and glass art. This was my first year attending the festival, and the first piece of summer spent in over 90° heat in at least 7 or 8 years. But we were ready for it! With dabs and water in hand, we set out into the heat. 

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Live art was everywhere, from live glassblowing to live painting. The musical stage was in the middle of the fairgrounds, so if you were outside odds were you could hear the music playing. There were makeshift misters spraying water at the edge of the stage's lawn creating a haziness that matched the one we were feeling. 

The two days we were there were full of tasting dabs, seeing friends, eating medicated (and non medicated) foods and generally enjoying the vibes. Being from Northern California and spending most of my life in the Bay Area, I definitely feel I operate on a different wavelength than Southern Californians. It's hard for me not compare the festivals and vibes in Northern and Southern California, but I will say the experience was definitely worth the trip.

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One thing I have always noticed about Southern California's concentrate scene is that I only seem to find popular BHO extractors, and not much solventless. 

Guild Extracts is an extract company that I have always heard great things about but never really tried. I was excited to try some of their flavors and hear more about their THC-A Crystalline. They took the prize for highest THC content for their Jack Herer THC-A Crystalline. I don't think I saw it on the menu, but I probably wasn't looking, but I did see this Sour Diesel THC-A Crystalline.

Han's Colonial Medicine did have some fire looking and smelling Blissful Wizard Dry sift but at $100 a gram, it was a little out of my price range.

I've heard many things about the ambiguous origins of Crystalline concentrates. The CBD Crystalline we are seeing on the market these days is derived from HEMP, not CANNABIS. It unsure what affects these hemp derived concentrates could have on the body, so it's important to be careful. Guild's THC-A concentrate however seems to be legit, straight from Mother Mary herself.

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Something I've been seeing at cannabis festivals and parties in the recent years have been rosin presses! People with rosin presses, mainly companies doing promotional work of course, who will allow people to walk up to them with their own flower and use their machines to press out fresh rosin! Sashquash Rosin Presses were who we used to help us out. We started with a little over 3 grams of Gorilla Glue cultivated by SPARC that tested out at just over 22% so we knew it would be worth the squeeze.

we got almost a gram and a half back!

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Glass art, mostly functional, some not, all beautiful, were a obviously a huge part of the festivities. I saw plenty of artists I recognized and plenty I didn't. This beautiful electroformed, crystal covered piece to the right made it all the way to Southern California from New York state. Some artists traveled from far away homes, some were local, and some even considered the road their home. Chaka Glass, an artist I've meet at previous expos and someone I've connected with on social medial, is one of these artists driving across country and living in an RV.

Chaka (Christian) is famed for his icey drips, hollow cubes and adorable penguin and marine wildlife.

Another artist I recognized right away was Sherbert Glass. His signature pencil dabber can be spotted at almost any glass party. Seeing some of his one of a kind collaborations was a real treat.

I picked up a textured pink pencil dabber he was nice enough to sign for me, with his personalized Sherbert TI pencil.

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Millies are something that have been practiced in glasswork for years and years, before functional glass art was a thing (I think?). There are so many talented millie artists in the scene, I was happy to see some familiar faces and some new ones! I loved these Oggie Boggie and Stimpy chips by an artist I didn't recognize. 

Love these Oogie Boogie and Stimpy chips by and artist who's name I couldn't find.

Dapo Glass and Holly Banks Glass are a couple I've also met at other glass expos and connected with via social media. I love how they support each other in their art and collaborate constantly! He makes the chips and she'll use them to make adorable pendants!
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Holly loves to create tasty looking glass reminiscent of the candies we get when we have the munchies. Gummies galore! This chocolate dipped lemon gummy was something I saw online and was so happy to see in person!

Jayson Keys made hilarious and serene scenes in his Millie Bomb pieces, mostly pendants and marbles.

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Augy Glass was another artist, who I like to consider a friend, I saw using millies, but his glass was functional. Augy is a California based artist of Mexican decent who is proud of himself and his work, and I like to think it shows. It's always great to run into friends and these kinds of events.

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I saw some Northern California based friends too! Goodnight Irene and Lisa's Pieces!  Kayla James Glass was sharing a table with Irene and I was so happy to see some of her work in person! These Renee Patula ice cream carrots were as adorable in person as they were online.

Kayla and Irene did a 'Squabbit' pendant, signature Irene squirrel who developed a taste for carrots and disguised himself as rabbit to obtain more carrots. Irene was wearing it when I saw her. 

Irene's pieces have great shape and beautiful fuming, and are often accented with horns or her signature squirrels, that are often seen on pendants. The light was hitting these beautifully as the sun began to set.

Her collaborations with Lisa were also on display, and I actually remember these being made at a Pied Pipers event in Oakland at Acala Studios. 

Lisa had a strawberry theme going on and these hefty pendants caught my eye. The sun began to set and then evening began to cool off. The dusk kicked up in the desert sun added a glow to all the glass in the livestock showarea where the glass village was set up. We continued to wander  puffing on our joints as we pleased. 

part 2 coming soon!

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