Ryan Alden: Sandblasted Lovat (King of Clubs) Tobacco Pipe

Texas-based pipe artisan Ryan Alden loves working with his hands and studied ceramics, sculpting, drawing, painting, horticulture, leatherworking, and wood turning before becoming enamored with making pipes. His pipes now enjoy a loyal and well deserved following, and he has developed a particular proficiency with classic shapes, which delights me every time one of them crosses my desk. This example is both taller and longer than his other Lovat creations, stretching well past six inches in length and standing taller than two, but it maintains the same stance as others in his portfolio, with cheeking at the transition and gentle lines that softens the profile's poised stature.

Alden produces primarily sandblasted pipes, and his skill in the blasting cabinet is on full display here, with a field of blasted birdseye covering the left flank and rippling striations marking the centerline of the bowl and shank. It's wearing a ruby stain that adds extra depth and texture to the briar, and is paired to a matching cumberland stem for a striking, unified aesthetic.