Smooth Almond with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Of the arsenal of bold and often wittingly named shapes that Adam Davidson most regularly works from, his almond design is quickly becoming not only highly prized but something of a signature for the Indiana native. Granted, much of Adam's work is easily recognizable as 'Adam Davidson', but his almond seems something special.

Here Adam makes an entire composition of sharp, yet rounded lines. And while the composition is inherently suggestive of an edgy playfulness, we see a controlled, constrained, conciseness to his shaping that unmasks the artist's true nature as an engineer foremost. From the small spiked heel that leans ever-so to the right to the overall composition that seems to want to drift to the left, every nuance is guided, every accent is intentional; the whole piece implies exacting symmetry and perfection, even with its deliberated asymmetry and 'imperfection'. These are the kinds of decisions that an artist can make only if he is willing to explore the methodology of craft making in the first place. This is what sets Adam Davidson apart as a pipe maker.

-- Ted Swearingen