Todd Johnson: Sandblasted Bent Dublin Sitter Tobacco Pipe

With over two decades of pipe-making experience, American carver Todd Johnson has earned quite the reputation for his highly original and aesthetically rich designs. The American artisan possess a masters degree in aesthetics from Yale and has studied under the venerated legends of the craft, including the Danish masters Tom Eltang and Anne Julie. He traveled to Denmark to study the elegant design sensibility and functional craftsmanship that marks the Danish tradition, doing so long before that became the norm. His work boasts a wide range of influences, but they are all channeled through Johnson's own artistic prism, and the pipe's he crafts are singularly his own. His work often takes the form of organic, sculptural shapes that showcase his keen eye for balance and finishing. That remains true for this bent Dublin.

Possessing a tall, forward-canted bowl with a flared, softly inflated rim, this piece features plenty of Freehand-esque shaping. The subtle taper throughout the bowl results in a demure, flattened heel that enables the piece to sit sturdily without the aid of a pipe stand, showcasing Johnson's impeccable ability to craft whimsical renditions of classic shapes that still possesses a refined sense of balance. The shank kicks high coming out of the tight-knit muscular transition, broadening gradual to a wide, asymmetrical face, a subtle shaping cue that adds further intrigue to the design. The negative space between bowl and shank provides a necessary break to the pipe's composition that allows the eye to take in each component part of the shape and how it functions within the piece as a whole. The saddle stem of brindled vulcanite juts from the shank face and makes a subtle downturn for a comfortable smoking posture, its dark, green/blue color contrasting with the warm tones of the stummel's finish. The stummel wears a low-profile sandblast that draws out exquisite stacks of growth rings that travel up the length of the bowl, accentuating its stature and shape, while providing plenty of stimulating texture to delight the fingers.