Smooth Speeding Blowfish Tobacco Pipe

Jeff has aptly christened this piece a Speeding Blowfish. It's rather similar to the look and feel of the kind of cross-grain design he tends to produce, what with its singular, flowing baseline and large, swooped up shank; though here the composition's sides are compressed, or perhaps more appropriately stated, its flanks have been pared down some from what we might have ordinarily expected. Because of the pipe's trimmed down appearance, the piece really does feel speedy, sporty, and potent with propulsive energy. It's a handsome object in its own right as well, not to mention beautifully stained in a black and dark walnut contrast, which shows off some tremendous bird's eye along each side. And few stems are as exactly executed and delicate as those that are born in the J. Alan studio; this Speeding Blowfish offers a fine example.

-- Ted Swearingen