American Estates: Abe Herbaugh Sandblasted Tomato (2013) Tobacco Pipe

Abe Herbaugh's portfolio shows influence from various schools of design, the American carver holding appreciation for both shape-chart classics and expressive Freehand designs. Herbaugh is especially drawn to the work of Danish and Japanese masters, with his body of work boasting a wealth of sweeping, gestural curves, all while retaining a robust American character, with this squat, plump Tomato serving as an excellent illustration of his style. The forward-urging bowl is rather bulbous and robust, prioritizing breadth over height while offering a wonderfully natural feel in hand, conforming comfortably around wrapped fingers. The sandblasted finish offers a wealth of intriguing texture, with a plethora of undulating grain rippling across the bowl's surface underneath the warm, reddish-orange stain. Cheeking along the bowl's lower flanks nicely accentuates its plumpness while the shank rises gently upwards to meet the gracefully downturned stem, with a pale wooden accent ring adorning the shank end.