Sabina Santos: Smooth Acorn with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

During her most recent visit to Denmark, Sabina Santos spent over a week with Hans "Former" Nielsen (more time than any other carver has spent in one visit with the Danish artisan). Santos passed that time honing her finishing and engineering skills as well as refining her bamboo work. This Acorn here is the perfect piece to show off Sabina's talent as a carver and the huge strides she's made. The bamboo is expertly married to the stummel, seamlessly lined up with the briar, as is the stem at the shank-end. Visually, the rhythm of the three knuckles of bamboo is continued by the undulating saddle portion of the stem, accentuating the flow from bit to heel. Above said heel, then, rises a plumply poised Acorn bowl. The gorgeous contrast stain highlights a wavy band of straight grain that encircles the entire bowl. Santos has read the briar superbly, orienting the bowl's high-set waist in a slightly asymmetrical fashion to line up with the straight grain, lending the piece a strong sense of continuity. Gorgeous work, with a plateau-crowned rim to match the crisp knuckles of bamboo.