Kent Rasmussen: Sandblasted Acorn with Masur Birch Tobacco Pipe

For quite a while, Kent Rasmussen was more acutely focused on pieces of an especially sculptural disposition, opting to predominantly finish those pieces in a smooth stain, and forgoing both more conservative numbers as well as sandblasts. And though those polished pieces were undeniably impressive in their own right, the carver later chose to shift his priorities around a bit. We're thankful he did of course, as the results are excellent riffs on Danish shape chart standards, such as this Acorn shape.

Balancing a sweeping poise, guided in silhouette by the plump and upright bowl, this piece seems to hearken to those more sculpturesque forms, all while staying firmly tied to the shape archetype. Eager, yet taut about the rim, the bowl is dressed in a concentric spread of undulating blasted rings, emanating down and toward the shank's end like ripples caused by a stone thrown into a pond. By way of these rings, the eye is guided to a stem base of blonde masur birch, juxtaposed with the deep crimson texture Kent opted for here. A truly impressive briar.