Scottie Piersel: Sandblasted Urn Tobacco Pipe

While Scottie Piersel is perhaps best known for her sleek, pencil-shanked pipes, she also fashions more muscular shapes as well. This Urn shape is one such pipe, and the first of its kind that we've seen from the American carver. Regardless of shape, Piersel always delivers high-quality craftsmanship with an emphasis placed on precise engineering and functionality, and this piece is no different. It features a stocky bowl with a cinched flank that draws attention to the disparity between the taut rim and the plump, voluptuous heel. The asymmetrical shaping gives the bowl a lopsided appearance and sense of naturalism, as if years of harsh weather had eroded one side into its current shape. Out back, a thick shank curls upwards, away from the transition, and meets an arcing, tapered stem of vulcanite. The shank and stem strike a gestural S-curve that adds a touch of fluidity to the composition and promotes a comfortable smoking posture. A dark, rugged sandblast dresses the stummel and accentuates the natural grain orientation of the briar, save for the rim, which is left smooth for tactile contrast. The vibrant, green hues of the mouthpiece offer a splash of color to the otherwise reserved palette of the pipe.