Jared Coles: Sandblasted Blowfish with Bakelite Tobacco Pipe

For eight years, Jared Coles worked with John Klose on the J&J brand of artisan pipes before the duo decided to pursue their crafts separately. Coles has since made pipe under his own name, and he fashions traditional shapes with as much vigor and specificity as he does his more creative, organic work. No matter the shape he crafts, Coles' work is unified by a keen eye for precise lines, supple curves, and handsome finishes, all of which are present in this gorgeous Blowfish.

Like many renditions of the Blowfish, this piece boasts a playful asymmetry throughout its build. A crisp ridgeline cascades from the rim and unevenly bifurcates the bowl, lending some hard-lined structure to the otherwise curvaceous form. The ridgeline wraps around the transition and forms a pronounced crest that brings to mind a dorsal fin, its protruding posture accentuating the supple contours of the bowl. The shank ebbs from the low-set transition and sweeps upward to a colorful stem of blue Bakelite, and as it does, it curls toward one half of the bowl, fostering a sense of momentum along the composition's aft side. A ruby-hued sandblast dresses the stummel and accentuates waves of grain across one flank of the bowl and handsome clusters of birdseye across the other flank.