How Banjo, Puntington, Phil Siegel and a team of glass artists transformed an Aztec-inspired vision into an ambitious collaborative borosilicate sculpture.
2016: The Birth of a Serpent Mother
In 2016, glass artists Banjo, Puntington and Phil Siegel joined forces to create La Madre de Quetzalcóatl, meaning The Mother of the Feathered Serpent.
The sculpture drew inspiration from Mesoamerican mythology, particularly the maternal imagery associated with Chimalma, a figure connected to the birth of Quetzalcóatl in Aztec tradition.
Instead of building a conventional functional glass piece, the artists pursued something more elaborate.
The project would combine figurative sculpture, complex color work and mythological symbolism into a single object.
How Did the Collaboration Begin?
The original concept developed between Banjo and Puntington.
Banjo later brought in Phil Siegel, whose figurative glasswork offered the technical and artistic skills needed for the central sculpture.
Peltzer Glass also became involved in the fabrication.
The project brought together different specialties rather than asking one artist to handle every element.
It became a coordinated effort to transform a complex visual concept into finished borosilicate.
Months Behind the Torch
The artists spent months developing the piece.
Their work included custom color pulls, layered canes and mirrored tubing, with each component contributing to the larger design.
The combination demanded precision, especially where multiple glass elements needed to connect without disrupting the sculpture's visual flow.
Tristan Hodges Glass later contributed to the finishing process, helping bring the work to its final presentation.
The central ambition was to create a glass sculpture that could be approached as fine art, not simply as an example of advanced pipe-making.
Why Quetzalcóatl?
The sculpture's title refers to Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent associated with Mesoamerican mythology.
The artists drew on the image of a divine maternal figure surrounded by elaborate plumed ornamentation.
These visual references gave the work a narrative beyond its technical construction.
The glass was intended to communicate mythology, creation and symbolic identity through sculptural form.
An Unusual Private Unveiling
The finished piece was presented at Lori's home, a private gallery setting surrounded by contemporary art.
Rather than debuting at a conventional glass exhibition or trade event, the sculpture entered a space where it could be viewed alongside other fine-art objects.
The intimate presentation reflected the artists' ambition for the project.
La Madre de Quetzalcóatl was being introduced as a significant collaborative sculpture rather than an ordinary commercial release.
From Functional Glass to Fine Art
The collaboration demonstrated how artists working with borosilicate could use their technical knowledge to create increasingly complex narrative sculpture.
Banjo and Puntington developed the original vision.
Phil Siegel contributed figurative expertise.
Peltzer Glass and Tristan Hodges helped complete the demanding construction and finishing work.
The result combined mythology, ornamental detail and collaborative glassworking in one project.
Legacy
La Madre de Quetzalcóatl represented an ambitious effort to bring mythological storytelling into contemporary functional-glass culture.
Created in 2016, the sculpture demonstrated how multiple artists could combine specialized techniques around a shared artistic vision.
Its significance came not only from the complexity of its construction, but also from the decision to give the object a distinct narrative identity.
The project showed how torchworked glass could move beyond technical display and become a medium for storytelling, symbolism and collaborative fine art.
YouTube Video
Sources:
Banjo. Instagram, @banjoglass. Artist's primary archive for La Madre de Quetzalcóatl, including references to Puntington's rainbow-pattern glasswork. The original project posts and dates still need confirmation.
Ozen, Jodi Grimmett. "Banjo & Phil Siegel at Studio Alchemy." Glass Alchemy, 21 Apr. 2016. Contemporary evidence of Banjo and Phil Siegel collaborating and demonstrating advanced borosilicate techniques during 2016.
Cha Cha Chainz. "Archive." Cha Cha Chainz. Documents Banjo, Puntington and Phil Siegel collaborating on the separate 2016 sculpture Ngasa, establishing their working relationship during the period.
"Phil Siegel." Talking Out Your Glass. Firsthand artist interview covering Siegel's figurative glasswork, mythological storytelling, Lost Gods series and Quetzalcóatl-inspired Feathered Serpent sculpture.
McDonough, Elise. "First Major Gallery Show for Glass Artist Banjo." High Times, 5 Oct. 2016. Documents Banjo's move toward fine art, complex mythological sculptures and the 2016 Sacramental Vessels exhibition in Los Angeles.
Pearce, Michael. "Emerging Markets: Banjo and the Glass Goddess." MutualArt, 20 Nov. 2024. Examines Banjo's technical development, spiritual imagery, intricate borosilicate sculptures and transition from functional glass to collectible fine art.
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