Ping Zhan: Smooth Chubby Blowfish Tobacco Pipe

While relatively new Chinese artisan Ping Zhan is certainly building a style and aesthetic that's uniquely his own, it's still easy to see the influence of Tokutomi and the Japanese school on his body of work. Take this Blowfish, for example: Tokutomi has no doubt pushed the limits of the shape's line and form while still adhering to what could be called a Blowfish, lending the shape such a strong sense of organic asymmetry, implied motion and dynamism that his interpretation is seen as the model of the modern Blowfish, and here Ping Zhan has taken certain cues in that regard. A crisp ridge rides the underside, with another oriented to the right flank, defining a flowing panel which frames a neat lane of cross-grain, and together with ridges and panels defining the curve along the cheek's x-axis, lending the composition an understated, almost structural disposition. There's a vivid display of birdseye to each cheek, accentuated by a warm contrast stain.

- Daniel Bumgardner