Jody Davis: Smooth Volcano with Mammoth (Saint) (A23) (25) Tobacco Pipe

Jody Davis, in addition to being an accomplished musician, is also a venerated pipe maker who fashions some of the finest briars in the world. Like many American artisans, Davis tends to fashion relatively compact designs that emphasize muscular proportions over length, something true of this Volcano as well, its under six inches of reach balanced by its muscular, reassuring heft in hand.

In keeping with the shape's usual character, the bowl here boasts a steady taper from its wide, ridgeline-wrapped heel to its taut rim. Said bowl is paired to an oval shank that reaches up to a steeply curved saddle stem of jet-black acrylic. The shank and stem lend a gestural quality to the otherwise structural composition, with the broad shank offering a note of tactile detail in the form of plateau. This plateau provides an organic component to the otherwise smoothly polished composition, its dark texture a gorgeous accenting note. An auburn smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights a brilliant array of flame grain around the bowl's walls, while a band of mammoth adorns the junction and livens the shape's overall profile.