Mark Tinsky: Black and Tan Bent Pot Christmas 2021 (Two Star) Tobacco Pipe

Mark Tinsky has selected the bent Pot to represent his annual Christmas pipe series for 2021, the singular shape rendered in various finishes and with different accents. The Montana resident has been commemorating the holiday with a new release every year since 1983. The bowl here is broad and substantial, with its plump, slightly angled heel lending a gentle lift. It's poised at the end of a more lithe shank that barely rises, while the stem turns down abruptly at the bit. Lengthy in profile, with the robust bowl commanding the visual weight, this piece is dressed in the carver's Black and Tan finish, with a stark contrast of dark, craggy rustication juxtaposed against a vibrant, smooth orange stain, the latter showing off the fetching grain patterns of the briar.