Todd Johnson: Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Bakelite and Ebonite (Hoplite) Tobacco Pipe

A carver with deep respect for classics yet one who's never afraid to venture outside the norm, Todd Johnson never fails to present pieces imbued with both traditional cues and his own creative lens alike. In the case of this bent Dublin, Todd has kept the pipe chart standard form intact while riffing on its specifics and playing with the materials and color palette. Shape-wise, the pivotal feature is the heel — ever-so-slightly pointed below the bowl, it acts as the knife edge, so to speak, on either side of which falls the other aspects of the shape. On one side, the bowl flares dramatically into a rim of natural plateau, while the innermost section remains smooth and steeply chamfered. On the other side, then, curls the shank, mimicking the bowl's flare and plateau, yet curving upward in profile to balance out the split stem's downward turn. Said stem is a stunning composition of ebonite and bright bakelite, green-swirled and calling to mind mint-flavored rock candy. The vivid color stands in stark contrast against the dark stain of the stummel, the glossy sandblast bringing out the best of straight grain intersecting with concise ripples of ring grain.