American Estates: Jody Davis Smooth Blowfish with Cocobolo (A07) (38) (Cardinal) (2007) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Jody Davis is perhaps one of the best American artisans active today, and certainly one of the most well-respected, but he is not only that, he is also a member of Grammy-nominated rock group Newsboys, who have a cumulative four gold records under their belt. Davis is a man of many talents, that goes without saying, but his journey as an artisan began as many do: with a passion for pipes and smoking. After making his first piece and showing it to one Keith Moore, Moore realized the potential that Davis had and put him into contact with legendary Danish artisan Jess Chonowitsch, who showed Davis some of his methods and shared his sources for materials. At this point Jody began to immerse himself in carving, dedicating himself to the craft and later working with J.T. Cooke in his Vermont workshop for a week, all of which contributed to his incredible depth of knowledge and refined his eye for detail.

This Blowfish is an impressive display of Davis' work, showcasing the American artisan's skill in carving firm lines that are yet possessed of a fluid curvature. This skill is prevalent at the shank, where the length of briar ebbs out of a wide transition and curls upward, framed by a quartet of panels that terminate in an oblong rectangle at the face. The shank itself is met by a demurely curved stem of unique construction, comprising a bit and button of black vulcanite, though most of its base is rendered from warm, contrast-rich cocobolo. Here, the wood has been shaped to follow the ridges of the shank, though it begins to taper and curve toward the upper left side, its firm edges curling toward a pronounced point that radically alters this pipe's silhouette. Up front, the bowl display's the Blowfish's expected asymmetry, with twin panels of disparate shapes and sizes, though both of these panels feature a strikingly sharp point near the lower aft side, drawing attention toward the transitional area, especially on the right flank. An intentional choice, this brings the eye to the panel's outward push, as well as Davis' hollow-carving of a channel to separate the panel from the bowl visually. Dressed in a warm, rich stain and glossy finish, there's no shortage of impressive birdseye on display here, with both sides of the stummel displaying the swirling pinpricks en masse.