J. Alan: Smooth Bent Dublin with Horn (2037) Tobacco Pipe

Jeff Gracik is one of America's most renowned pipe makers, with the artisan getting his start in the craft the same year he began work on his graduate degree. With a pair of briar blocks and some pre-formed stems, he set to work on carving his first two pipes completely with hand tools and on the floor of his in-law's kitchen. This sparked the blaze of his passion for the craft, and his determination in carving pipes of excellency resulted in him visiting Todd Johnson, Tonni Nielsen, and Jody Davis, combining his already self-taught skill with teachings from some of the world's most accomplished artisans.

This bent Dublin is a distinctly American pipe in style, with a robust, lengthy build and a bowl-forward disposition whose visual weight still accounts for the presence of the shank and stem. The transition here is quite wide, more than wide enough to drape a digit and marks the start of a curvaceous shank, dipping near the middle and lifting toward the aft side to meet a domed fitment of horn at the junction. This horn accent takes on a subtle flare to its rounded face before meeting a trim, demurely curved saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite which offers a comfortable smoking posture and an elegant silhouette that keeps the eye fixed on the form of this composition.

Up front, the bowl here stands atop a sweeping heel that curls smoothly through the underside to the fore of the bowl, its trajectory marking a subtle bit of expansion as it pushes into the main body of the bowl itself. The aft side appropriately mirrors this gentle flare, lending the bowl the Dublin's iconic shape in a manner which is robust and pronounced, though still quite understated overall. An easy curvature possesses the bowl's walls throughout its expansion to the rim, keeping the feel in hand comfortable, and the rim itself boasts a broad outline that's dipped into the chamber. The entirety of this piece is suffused with a languid flow, a gently ebbing sense of line that belies the muscular feel in hand that this pipe provides. Dressed in a rich contrast stain, the stummel here is rich with dense grain, the flanks peppered with swirling birdseye as the midsection displays cross grain striations.