Sergey Ailarov is one of the most prominent names in Russian pipe making; yet, like many pipe makers who've gained fame abroad, Ailarov's work here in the U.S. is quite scarce. We hope to change all that, as we added him to our lineup of talented, artisanal pipe makers earlier this week. If you're unfamiliar with Sergey's work, let us shed some light on his skill and unique approach, as well as a little background about the carver.

Background

Sergey was born in Vladikavkaz, Russia in 1973. Even from an early age, Ailarov held a fascination with the arts and music, in which he even pursued a formal education, studying to become a jazz guitarist and composer. As for the arts, before pipe making his previous passion was photography; at the age of 25, he even moved to Moscow to pursue further opportunities in this field as well. And then came the pipe.

Sergey received his first pipe as a gift for his 30th birthday. After falling in love with the hobby, he quickly understood that he needed a larger collection and came to a solution: he would create his own pipes. After purchasing a block of briar and some basic tools, he did just that — he made his first pipe. He showed this initial attempt to the proprietor of a local tobacconist in Moscow, who in turn introduced Sergey to another great name in the Russian pipe making scene: Michail Revyagin. Realizing his potential, Revyagin invited Ailarov to his workshop and began to teach him the basic fundamentals of pipe making. Under Michail's guidance, Sergey eventually purchased all the necessary tools and machinery to create a workshop of his own and began to work alone.

Approach to Pipe Making

Ailarov's pipes follow an organic, natural, and functionalist approach to design, with less emphasis placed on adhering to any strict shaping guidelines and more on staying true to his artistic expression and coaxing out the natural beauty of the materials at hand — not to mention providing customers with pieces that are, first and foremost, enjoyable to smoke. To shed further light on this ideology, what follows is Sergey's response to the debate between "classical" and "freehand" shapes that pops up from time to time on Russian pipe forums:

"If we talk about pipe making in the context of art and creative work, then any hand-crafted pipe, as opposed to one produced by a machine, is the embodiment of a pipe maker's individual aesthetics and his perception of beauty... when a pipe maker starts to work on a new pipe, he just follows the voice of his heart, and it does not really matter which shape, a 'classic' or a 'freehand', comes out in the end."

Not only does his response accurately touch on the issue at hand, but it speaks volumes about how he views the art of pipe making. The overall shape of a pipe, be it a classic Billiard or a flourishing Freehand, matters less than how naturally it conveys the artisan's perception of beauty and how well it plays on the medium's own strengths. Sergey reiterates this ideal in his description of what he believes constitutes a "perfect pipe": "A pipe must be a good smoker and it must be beautiful, thus it will become a friend to whoever comes to own it... [it] must touch one's heartstrings, and be able to awaken a sense of fantasy and association with the smoker."

Of course, philosophy is one thing; putting it into action is another. Ailarov understands this quite well I think, and you can readily see this approach in each and every piece that leaves his workshop. All of Sergey's pipes are meticulously engineered, featuring consistent, comfortable button work and perfect drilling. His perception of beauty is a natural one as well, taking most of his inspiration from the briar itself, letting the block's grain and natural beauty determine the shape. Each block of briar is unique in shape and grain, and thus each Ailarov pipe follows suit — striking a careful balance between form and function, with the lines, proportions, and overall shape of the pipe echoing the block from which it was crafted.

Influences

While most of Sergey's inspiration comes from beautiful blocks of briar, he does maintain a certain respect for the Danish tradition, particularly the works of Danish greats like Chonowitsch and Ivarsson. That influence is not surprising given that the great Danes themselves follow a similarly organic and artistic approach to design — with a special focus on "listening" to the briar and letting its patterns and shape determine the overall form of a piece. While that admiration comes out readily enough in his designs, Sergey also cites an appreciation for the modern American and Japanese aesthetics, applauding these artisans for their "interesting decisions" and clever solutions to problems in recent years.

A Closer Look

To take away from some of this abstraction and give you an idea of how he applies these above concepts to functional designs, below you can find a closer look at a few of the Ailarov pipes that the site recently.

Smooth Fish

While evoking Lars' signature rendition in the overall plump Apple base form and the use of the teardrop line along the underside, Sergey has still brought his own vision into this Fish. The teardrop line, for example, is both more pronounced and a bit more dynamic, switching planes from the right flank to the left as it curls beneath the transition, climbing all the way up to the left side of the rim. Moreover, he's created a similar ridge along the top of the shank, both emphasizing the quick, sweeping gesture in profile, as well as highlighting through juxtaposition the sheer plumpness and cheeking of the bowl itself. All in all, it's a more modernist variation on the classic Ivarsson shape — sharper of line and more dynamic of stance. And, like all of Ailarov's creations, it's beautifully grained to boot.

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Smooth Bent Brandy with Horn

This style of elongated horn mount is something Scott Klein and many others have experimented with quite a bit recently, using the material not merely as an accent or adornment but as an integral part of the composition as a whole: the shank. Sergey's really executed the theme well in this iteration, with the mount following a smooth, continuous flare from its abbreviated transition all the way to the disc-like stem base. Make no mistake, however; this isn't mere emulation. Ailarov has certainly put his own spin on it as well, keeping the overall bend slighter, with more of a downward turn to the mouthpiece, and further filling out the flanks with plump, Heeschen-esque cheeks.

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Smooth Blowfish

When asked about his favorite shapes to make, Sergey included the Blowfish among other classical and Freehand designs, no doubt due to the form's inherent ability to showcase the very best a block has to offer, the natural beauty of the briar itself. By taking a more streamlined, minimalist approach, he's placed even more emphasis on that natural beauty here, using the shape's strong fluting lines to frame and separate the briar's various patterns — without distracting from them with an excess of fluting lines or pronounced asymmetry. Along the left flank, for example, you'll notice a vast sea of uninterrupted birdseye, covering not only the convex plane of the bowl but all across the lengthy, flared shank as well. What's more, while many other carvers would've dressed this piece in a more vivid, bengal finish, Sergey here kept things more natural — presenting the form in a smoky, tan-and-onyx contrast, lending plenty of definition to those aforementioned grain patterns, while keeping the overall palette subdued and organic. shop now

If you'd like to see more of Ailarov's work, head on over to Sergey's page on the site. Be it a streamlined classic or a flourishing Freehand, all of his pipes are crafted with an eye towards functionality and organic presentation of the briar's inherent beauty. They represent his heart and soul, his artistic expression. They speak for themselves.

Any Ailarov fans out there? Feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments section below.