This is one of Mike Raman's earliest pieces.
It was collecting dust at my friend's house for over a year. It was filthy, covered in resin and reclaim but I had my eye on it for a while and wound up buying it off of him one day. I couldn't be happier with it. It's perfectly straight which is always a plus when it comes to handmade pieces. I typically am not a fan of the inline perc, I tend to go for a heavy chug that produces larger bubbles. With enough water this piece will rip - I can make it shake in my hand. However, if you want lighter pull, this thing is fully capable of providing a light, effortless chug. This tube has sparked my appreciation for those smoother, slower hitting pieces.
I prefer clear glass most of the time, but these colors are very intense and flattering to the piece. There are bits of this icy blue color between each ridge on the base of the neck that I'm quite obsessed with. It's a beautiful way to contrast the dark purples. Raman chose awesome colors while joining them beautifully. Somehow he pulled off this purple, red, orange and blue combination.
At a glance, this piece is simple. In hand, the fine details shine. Thinner glass at the tip lets a lot of light through, allowing these colors to really shine. This creates a glowing orange cream color on the inside of the worked half of the piece. Most of the colors that are used throughout the neck can be seen blended into the top of the mouthpiece. Stripes of orange, purple and icy blue meet at the very tip to form a lovely spiral of colors. I often take time to admire solely this mouthpiece.
This tube was abandoned at my friend's house. It had hash and weed resin coating the inside with bits of old hash all over the outside. Even though it wasn't well kept, I wanted this tube. I appreciated the quality of build and the complexity of the colors. It hadn't been used in many, many months because my friend had lost interest in smoking hash oil. I assumed I could take it off of his hands for cheap. He contacted the original owner, who then informed us that my dream piece was Mike Raman's very early work. We verified with Raman on Instagram, he made it. It's quite a treat to own an artist's early work, you gain more understanding for an individual's artistic progression.
Who else owns an artist's early piece? Has their style changed, or become more defined?