Alexander Tupitsyn: Sandblasted Tomato with Ivorite Tobacco Pipe

A member of the PS Studio team alongside Vladimir Grechukhin and Sergey Dyomin, Alexander Tupitsyn was mentored by Grechukhin and much of Vladimir's style can be seen in Tupitsyn's work. It's evident in this Tomato — the compact muscularity combined with a Danish sense of soft lines and lifted heel catering to the pipemaking aesthetic that's been coming out of St. Petersburg. The flowing lines of the profile are juxtaposed against the design's hearty proportions, and while it's devoid of hard ridgelines, there's some noticeable firmness in hand: The bowl's low-set, rounded waistline echoes the flanks of the oval shank.

Offsetting this, Alexander has kept the form dynamic and forward urging, beginning at the sinuous shank and stem combination and continuing into the rim's slight cant in relation to the horizontally positioned waistline below. The form wouldn't be complete, though, without an equally attractive finish, and Tupitsyn has not disappointed. The dark chocolate sandblast is gorgeously textured and complements the dark, brown and red hues of the cumberland stem, allowing the lighter-stained rim and crisp, pearly white accent of ivorite to stand in contrast.