Erin Cartee – Shulgin Glass Project
The “Just Say Know” Series of Three · Shulgin Glass Project
Erin Cartee
Glass artist
Erin Cartee is an Asheville, NC-based glass artist who has been behind the torch full time since 1999. She’s a borosilicate flame worker, a mama, a wild food forager, a nature and animal lover, philosopher, and explorer.
The Glass Portal Studio · @theglassportalstudio
Piece 01
JSK #1
Says “Just Say Know” and has Sasha’s lab glass trapped behind the words. All of the blueish, silver, and bronze/gold wispy coloration is Sasha Shulgin’s glass with silver and 24k gold coating. There is a gilson opal* on the bale.
Piece 02
JSK #2
Says “Just Say Know” and has Sasha’s lab glass trapped behind the words. All of the blue coloration on the pendant is Sasha’s glass with a layer of silver. This piece has additional lab glass layered in a textured way on the outside of the pendant.
Piece 03
JSK #3
The third and largest piece says “Just Say Know” with Sasha Shulgin’s lab glass trapped inside, behind the words, and also behind the gilson opal*, and through the entirety of both of the horns. All of the blueish, silver, and bronze/gold wispy coloration is Shulgin’s glass with silver and 24k gold coating.
In the artist’s words
About the Series
For these special pieces, I wanted to use a play on words of the “Just Say No” campaign that I grew up with, which inadvertently led to ignorance about the drugs that curious humans were going to experiment with anyway. That ignorance is responsible for many deaths, and much unnecessary suffering. Education is what people need, in order to make decisions for themselves. DanceSafe has always promoted education and safety, and I wholeheartedly applaud them for that. Just Say Know is a much better message!
Sasha and Ann Shulgin also believed in this message. They spent their entire lives learning and teaching others about their discoveries, from the chemical to the psychological to the mystical. Their pursuit of knowledge has been, and forever will be, of great benefit for humanity.
To distinguish Sasha’s clear glass from the other clear glass, I used thin layers of silver and 24k gold in between the different pieces of clear. All of the wisps of blueish, silver, and bronze/gold coloration in these pieces are Sasha’s glass that has essentially been outlined with the metals. Pure silver turns blue and white when melted onto or inside of glass. 24k gold ranges in color from bronze to gold to reds.
All of the coloration in these pieces are Sasha’s glass, coated in metals, except for the white writing, the black and white twisty cane that I used around the writing, and the black glass that I used for the background. Stay curious, and Just Say Know.
Each piece that I create is a reflection of the natural beauty that surrounds me—the colorful flora and fauna of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the shimmer of wild rivers, and the quiet magic of stargazing while reflecting on our journey through the cosmos. My work is more than glass; it’s an invitation to carry a piece of that magic with you.
Specifications & Purchase Information
All three pieces in this collection contain shards of Shulgin’s glass from batches 14 and 16.
*JSK1 and JSK3 each contain a gilson opal, lab-created opals which are the only type of opal capable of being worked into glass.
Each pendant is signed on the back by the artist with a titanium pen. The series was created over three days and finished May 12, 2026.
Care instructions: These are quite durable and unlikely to break unless falling onto a very hard surface such as concrete. Hand wash with soapy water to clean. The artist repairs all work free-of-charge.
How to acquire
Acquire a piece
To purchase, please send a 3-5 sentence statement of interest.
