Bill Shalosky: Sandblasted Volcano with Mammoth (578) Tobacco Pipe

Bill Shalosky draws inspiration from numerous designs schools in conjunction with his own artistic creativity, which helps explain the sheer breadth of shapes the American carver produces. Shalosky crafts anything from Anglo-French classics to more Danish-inspired pieces, but no matter what he makes, his handsome finishing work and bold, creative shaping are always on full display.

This Volcano is a striking example of Shalosky's distinctive style. The bowl here features the form's characteristically wide, ridgeline-wrapped base, but it's rendered with an asymmetrical curvature, with the fore sloping down across the heel to the aft. This subtle shaping cue lends the bowl a dynamic posture in profile and dramatically highlights the visual disparity between the broad heel and the narrower rim. The sharply angled shank-and-stem arrangement further reinforces the bowl's forward momentum and encourages a comfortable smoking posture. Measuring less than five inches in total length, this compact piece is handsomely dressed in a crisp sandblast that highlights rippling growth rings about the bowl. For further visual appeal, a trim accent of mammoth adorns the shank end, visually separating the cumberland stem from the similarly hued stummel.