Todd Johnson: Smooth Bent Dublin Sitter with Boxwood (Hoplite) Tobacco Pipe

Similar in style to his signature Matador and Ballerina designs, this dynamic bent Dublin sitter is just a striking example of what Todd Johnson can do with a high-quality block of briar and a shaping wheel. Though perhaps to a lesser degree than the grand Blowfish also going up today, you can see some obvious Toku influence in the design's playful asymmetry and overall gesture; Todd's incorporated some strong Danish themes as well, shaping both the shank and the bowl itself in Ivarsson-esque teardrop fashion, with the resulting crisp ridges along the right visually reinforcing the dramatic V-shape of its silhouette.

Of course, all that playful shaping isn't just for added visual effect. It actually helps solidify this piece's stability as a sitter shape, with the strongly forward canted rim providing just enough counterweight to allow it to rest sturdily on its flattened base, with the shank and stem kicked high in the air. And as you might have guessed from the Hoplite stamp, Todd's paid careful attention to grain orientation here, resulting in a brilliant display of flame, 3/4, and birdseye all around. Gorgeous piece here.

- Andrew Wike