American Estates: C. Kent Joyce Sandblasted Reverse Calabash Blowfish (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Coming into the craft of pipe making from a position as a pipe smoker, C. Kent Joyce crafts fine pipes out of his detached home workshop in Noble, Oklahoma. Benefiting from training at the hands of both Premal Chheda and Tyler Lane, Joyce produces pieces that embody a striking, unique aesthetic such as this Blowfish. A reverse Calabash piece, this pipe boasts a striking thickness throughout its build, with an immense broadness at its bowl and shank that lend it an imposing presence in hand. The transition is fairly wide, and it leads to a shank that flares out immediately, the short length of its expansion to the face keeping all of the visual weight centered on the stummel. Said face is lenticular, with the pointed ends oriented toward the top and bottom, making the shank's construction fairly compressed at the flanks, and the face itself is inlaid with a pale band that reinforces the pressure-fit of the stem. The stem is a sleek saddle of black vulcanite that boasts an expansion ring at the base, further emphasizing the presence of the ridgelines that line the bowl and shank. Up front, the bowl embodies an immense presence, with rounded panels on both sides that are framed by the aforementioned ridges, its lower flanks showcasing fin-like lines that speak to the shank's namesake. Dressed in a crisp, auburn-tinged sandblast, the stummel showcases plenty of handsome grain to appreciate.