Bill Shalosky: Sandblasted Tomato with Redwood Burl (647) Tobacco Pipe

American artisan Bill Shalosky got his start carving pipes as a restoration specialist for the Smoker's Haven workshop, going on to make pipes for them before starting work with Premal Chheda, making pieces under his own name as well. In 2015 he was afforded the unique opportunity to work as an artisan at the BriarWorks workshop, providing him with a wealth of experience while also allowing him to continue fashioning handmade pipes under his own name. In addition, Shalosky's background in woodworking and his degree in fine arts have lent him quite the unique shaping style: one which displays a respect for the classic profiles of old while maintaining a distinctly modern sense of style, something clearly seen in this Tomato.

This shape has become something of a signature for Shalosky, as we've seen it from him several times with various features tweaked in each rendition, and it's quite a handsome one. It presents with a reserved sense of sinuosity throughout its build that manifests as an understated S-curve through the shank, stem, and heel, carrying itself with a gracefulness that ensures each component of its build is appreciated. True to the Tomato's iconic design, however, this piece remains a rotund, full-bodied pipe with a strikingly broad bowl and lengthy build. Robust in hand and certainly palm-filling, there's plenty of substance to appreciate here, the bowl's slight forward cant and the rim's scalloped dip in the middle offering a subdued bit of dynamism. The transition is quite wide and leaves ample room to drape a thumb, seeing the shank take on an easy upward curve to its end, meeting a demurely curved saddle stem at a junction marked by a thin ring of redwood burl. A lifted heel pushes the bowl into further prominence, though the gently lifting stretch of shank and stem keeps the visual weight here centered squarely at the transitional area, enhancing the fluid contours of the pipe quite nicely. Dressed in a dark, chestnut-hued sandblast, the stummel here showcases two plains of craggy, blasted birdseye at the flanks of the bowl while growth rings striate the midsection.