Jody Davis: Smooth Blowfish with Ambonya Burl (Cardinal) (A24) (02) Tobacco Pipe

Member of Grammy Award-nominated and multi-Gold-Record-certified Christian Rock group Newsboys, Jody Davis is a profusely talented man, not only an actual rock star but one of the United States' most accomplished and widely celebrated artisan pipe carvers. Davis is a master pipe maker, and the skill he's acquired over his more than two decades working with briar affords him a richly varied portfolio whose style can range from classically Anglo-French or timelessly Danish to hearty, bold, and thoroughly American pipes such as this Blowfish. Though the Blowfish is more readily associated with both the Japanese and Danish schools of design, this particular iteration of the shape earns its American sensibilities by way of an enhanced focus on substance and heartiness. At just over six inches long, it's certainly not the longest Blowfish we've seen, but its weight of nearly a quarter pound makes it one of the heftiest, with all this added substance being readily apparent throughout the pipe's silhouette.

As per the canonical standards of the Blowfish shape, this pipe displays a powerful asymmetry throughout its construction, with either side of the composition showcasing a singular appearance thanks to a series of ridgelines that frame multiple panels. The shank itself is hexagonal, with the left side's build offering a structured, more classically hexagonal look, while the right flank is compressed at the top, creating a longer top slope and shortened side panel. The ridges flanking the shank flow into the transition and bowl, the pair at the top and bottom encircling the bowl completely to delineate either half of the bowl's disparate style. The left flank is structured, with a pronounced slope from the far outer edge of the briar to the bowl's panel, its lower aft side displaying a fin-like structure and plenty of geometrical appeal. On the right side, however, there's almost no structure whatsoever, with the walls of the bowl offering supple curvature in hand and standing out impressively against the pronounced angularity displayed across the rest of this piece. The shank itself is capped with a sleek saddle stem of black vulcanite, one whose base is accented with a broad fitment of amboyna burl that nicely contrasts the stummel's rich, auburn-tinged stain: revealing dense birdseye across both flanks of the bowl.