J. Alan: Smooth Scorpion Blowfish (1240) Tobacco Pipe

Jeff Gracik's Scorpion Blowfish is such a striking take on the Danish/Japanese theme, quite powerful in its overall stance and proportions yet still ripe with inherent dynamism in its quick, flowing lines and implied forward momentum. While we've seen a number of iterations of this unique shape from Jeff over the years, no two have been exactly the same. This piece, for example, features a touch more substance to the bowl — almost Italian neo-classical in its distribution of visual weight throughout. Moreover, the subtle prod to the arcing shank, together with the lower-profile, cinched style of transition, keeps the silhouette quite fluid and easy to follow as well. This creates a fin like aesthetic at the end of the shank, which in turn works to shift the visual focus back to the large, stout-walled bowl itself, coming full circle. Furthermore, it's substantially larger than many other variations we've seen from Jeff, yet again that extra mass does nothing to hinder the shape's quick, dynamic lines — only serving to provide a little more chamber, as well as a broader canvas for some stunning grain. Excellent work.

- Andrew Wike