Bill Shalosky: Sandblasted Pickaxe with Tulipwood (565) Tobacco Pipe

Bill Shalosky boasts years of pipe-carving experience along with a background in fine arts, having crafted pieces at Smoker's Haven and Chheda Pipes. He also remains a valuable member of BriarWorks' artisan team, while making pipes under his own name.

This is the first Pickaxe we've seen from the American carver, making for a most welcome sight. It's also a departure in style, with many pieces within his portfolio aligning with the American design school's muscular, compact shaping. A quite tall and lengthy piece by comparison, this delightful pipe boasts a bowl height of more than two inches, its stout disposition displaying the form's high waistline near the flaring, gently sloping rim. Featuring a forward-ebbing stance and downward taper, the heel here is angled and flattened rather than a traditional spur, for a bit of softening to the design. An abbreviated shank is extended by a beautiful, gently flaring accent of tulipwood that's smoothly stained a light hue shot through with reddish grain patterns, lightening the composition and contrasting the dark, hand-cut stem. The artisan has dressed this piece in a dark sandblast that does well to reveal the briar's handsome grain striations.