Dirk Heinemann: Sandblasted Dora with Teak Wood Tobacco Pipe

One of Dirk Heinemann's signature pipes, this Dora is a playful shape of quite compact, compressed proportions. In contrast to focusing most of the attention on the bowl, the German carver here allows the broadly flaring shank to garner the form's focal point. A sculptural piece, the artisan's background as a woodworker and furniture maker, along with his natural talents, serve him well here. The forward-urging, Ball-like bowl is spherical and plump, marked by easy curves and softened lines throughout. The aforementioned, wide shank flicks upward and a bit back toward the bowl, Heinemann shaping it with an illusionist's whimsicality: Look at it from above and that shank doesn't appear to be too broad, but it certainly looks that way in profile. The stummel is dressed in a rich, dark sandblast, showcasing beautiful grain that's again an embodiment of the carver's shaping skills. The shank face has been accentuated by a slender ferrule that's diamond shaped and made of smooth teak wood, the wood's own grain patterns most intriguing. It's topped by a sleek, hand-cut vulcanite stem, its crisp expansion disk at the base lending even more flourish to this marvelous piece.