Tao: Smooth Fish with Silver Tobacco Pipe

Before taking up the craft of pipe making, Jens "Tao" Nielsen was a sailor and spent most of his early life at sea. After meeting his wife, Nielsen retired to a life on land, but his experience at sea influenced his approach to pipe making — with his designs often compact, muscular, and built for easy transportation and hands-free smoking, without sacrificing anything in terms of durability or engineering. In keeping with his signature style, this Fish is a compact composition, measuring less than five inches in total length, though it retains the lopsided aesthetic associated with the form. A crisp ridgeline bifurcates the softly contoured bowl and accentuates a pronounced channel along the bowl's fore, all while introducing a structural rigidity to the otherwise curvaceous form. Save for the aforementioned ridgeline and channel, the bowl possesses an Apple-like build and conforms naturally to the hand. An upturned shank and a demurely curved tapered stem bring up the rear and promote a comfortable smoking posture, their gestural posture balancing the substantial bowl. A warm smooth finish dresses the ensemble and highlights striking birdseye across the bowl's flanks, while an accent of sterling silver adorns the junction and ties the shape together with a dose of flash, the accent mirrored by a silver butterfly married to the lower left flank of the bowl.