Sam Adebayo: Sandblasted Tomato with Sandblasted Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

My favorite aspect of the annual American Pipemaking Exposition is seeing how carvers use their creative licenses to push the conventional boundaries of pipe design. With this year's bamboo theme, that creativity seems to have manifested itself in either one of two ways: In general, artisans have either shaped pipes around incredibly wild pieces of bamboo (i.e. J. Alan's and Todd Johnson's entries), or they've opted for more uniform pieces but implemented them in uniques ways (see Adam Davidson's and Abe Herbaugh's pieces). Sam Adebayo's entry fits into both of these categories.

If you've ever met Sam Adebayo, you'll probably attest to him not being the most extroverted of personalities; he's incredibly warm and genuine but prefers separate, one-on-one conversations or attentive listening when in large groups. That said, Sam produces some of the most brightly colored and extroverted pipes (just take a look at his entry into last year's Expo), their color palettes contrasting starkly against the carver's personal wardrobe dominated by white, gray, and black. The section of bamboo he's used here fits right into his colorful portfolio. It's rather "standard" in form — not especially asymmetrical or uneven — but Sam has imparted an unconventional wildness onto the bamboo, having focused his creativity primarily on the piece's finish.

The bamboo is stained a deep, striking blue, having required Adebayo, first, to sandblast the material, removing the bamboo's smooth, glossy exterior so it could absorb color. The blue stain, though, has combined with the natural, yellow tones of the bamboo and resulted in subtle, green undertones, and the crisp striations of the sandblast catch the light to make for an even more eye-catching presentation. It's paired, then, to a squat Acorn bowl, also sandblasted but stained a dark, midnight hue — typically, "black" stains will still show some underlying hints of burgundy, but here, Sam has achieved a deep, dense ebony color that further accentuates that colorful bamboo. It's a stunning mix of "conventional" bamboo form and orientation but with a creative color palette that's as impressive as it is unique.