We are all familiar with his pipes by now, but what about the man behind the briar? A while back Danish artisan Peter Heding agreed to talk with Bear Graves about his pipes and the general life of a pipe maker. Here are some of his answers:

Bear: Unless born into a pipe making family, very few pipe carvers grew up thinking that they would wind up carving pipes. Tell us a bit about your background, and what interests and events led you to choosing this most unusual form of artistic expression.

Peter: To begin with my "beginning," I was born the 4th of July in 1971 about 20 miles north of Copenhagen. I grew up in a family with both an older brother and parents working within research and science. While it can be nearly impossible, to bring a great deal of introspection to one’s childhood, three things stand out in the memories of my parents and brother: I was very restless, constantly coming up with ideas, and I had an obsession with everything related to the out-of-doors, especially if it involved tools. As you might expect, the research/science fields did not appeal to me in the least for many years. As a matter-of-fact for the first 20 years of my life, I had no solid career goals what-so-ever. Like many teenagers, not having a definitive career selected didn't keep me up at night. In order to simply get higher education underway, I went through a 3 year business school education and 1 year at a building constructor school before I finally became focused about getting a university degree in Biology.

At 25, I entered the University of Copenhagen. My interests were still birds, fish, you know traditional biology. But during the 6th year at the University my interests drifted towards genetics and molecular biology, and suddenly I found myself in the footsteps of my mom and dad... but with a critical difference. What really appealed to me about this field was to explore and discover what had not been investigated before, not simply elaborating on established work.

During my 5th and 6th year at the University I got a scientific scholarship and continued my studies at a Diabetes Hospital with a research group focusing on discovering the initial molecular events leading to the development of Type 1 Diabetes, as well as intervention strategies for predicting and curing the disease. I found this very exciting, and after achieving my Masters degree I went through a 3 year Ph.D. program and a 2 year Post Doc position at the same research group.

Overall the job was great. I loved doing theoretical analysis and making hypotheses, the hard work was to make the "proof of concept" in the laboratory. You know, it might take one, five, or even more years to provide solid evidence supporting your hypothesis, and by nature I am simply too impatient to wait this long for the final result. I guess, catalyzed by this and my interest in artistic expression made me search for something new.

During 2003 I found that "new" thing that grabbed me by storm. After seeing an interview with Anne Julie on TV, I began making my first pipes with generous assistance of Tom Eltang. At this point, I felt that I finally landed on the right "shelf." Not only did pipe making contain all elements I was looking for in a job, but the whole concept of working independently from home was very appealing. Also, with two small children and a third on the way, this could solve a lot of the stressful elements we encountered in our daily life. At that time, however, this was only a dream, and hobby carving continued for the next two years. These two years turned out to be critical to my future as I learned the basic skills of pipe making and, through Tom’s connections, made friends and contacts with in the smoking and carving business. In 2006, after more than two and a half years of hobby pipe making, I quit my job at the Research Institute and began a new life as pipe maker.

Bear: That's quite extraordinary — one of the most interesting, not to mention circuitous, routes to pipe making that I've ever encountered. What inspires you today? Every pipe maker seems to have differing sources of inspiration, as well as an aesthetic or theme that is apparent in most of his work. What are your primary inspirations, and how do you maintain your theme?

Peter: (laughing) You mean aside from the internet? I get about all of my inspiration from nature. I think it comes from my natural interest in biology and without giving it specific thought, my overall theme, or way of expression ends up being "organic." I do copy nature directly now and then by creating a "Fish" or a "Lion." But mostly, it’s the overall lines in material found in nature that catch my eye. Nature is a huge resource of inspiration, and I don’t think I could run out of obvious ideas. If it ever should happen, one drop of pond water investigated in the microscope would display another world of ideas. So, basically, there is material out there for pipe making throughout my life as pipe maker.

Bear: If a man has not tried your pipes why would he buy one? Why should he try one? From the artist's point of view, what makes your pipes special?

Peter: That’s a tough one, because there are many great pipe makers out there. That a pipe must be first and foremost a great smoker is essential to all pipes of quality. With that as a given, it all comes down to the design and personal style. I believe that what I have developed, and will continue to develop, is a personal expression. If that pipe taps something, hits your nerve, it's simply right for you. In this context, I don't consider other pipe makers as competitors, more like colleagues, as we have different ways of expression, and the pipes will appeal to different audiences. Thus, in the end it's a matter of individual taste. Really, what's better, a Van Gogh or a Rembrandt?

Bear: Describe a "perfect" pipe making day.

Peter: All days are perfect pipe making days (laughs); well some are even a bit better than others. The better days are ones where I am in a particularly creative mood. Creativity is not a static thing; it seems to cluster, at least for me, to certain days, often a few days in a row. I have never found a specific reason or pattern for this, but it is certainly enhanced by a positive mind and low levels of stress. These days are often ones where I do the initial pipe shaping and where new models emerge from the inside of the briar.

Bear: Many pipe carvers, on occasion, experience the carving equivalent of "writer's block." Does this ever happen to you and, if it does, what do you do to get the train back on track?

Peter: No, I have never really experienced a pipe making "black-out," at least not for so long that my pipe-cabinets became empty. I always have tons of roughly shaped pipes laying in my workshop, often made on the "better days." The creative part of doing a pipe is the initial shaping of the briar. It rarely takes longer than 5-10 minutes then the shape of the pipe is done. The remaining 95% of the work before the pipe is finished is much more routine based and not that creatively demanding. So with more than 50 unfinished pipes laying around in my workshop and house I could catch a bad case of "writer’s block" for 6 months without it being a threat for my business.

Bear: Which, if any, pipe makers influence you? What is it about their pipes that impress you?

Peter: I am indeed influenced by several "Great Danes." The work of Teddy Knudsen, Kent Rasmussen, and Tom Eltang have meant a lot to my development as independent pipe maker. Later on, pipe makers like Bo Nordh and Cornelius Manz got room in my top 5 list. Collectively, they all have a unique sense for proportion and balance along with an organic element that is difficult to describe other than a "Danish style" (sorry Sweden and Germany). From the very beginning of my pipe making career I have been focused on working with these elements in my pipes and will continue to do so. So, to me pipe making is much more than "just" grain, birdseye, bamboo, etc. The overall shape of the pipe is the most important thing, the rest are nice "additions" to support the pipes, and nothing more.

Bear: Do you smoke a pipe? What is your favorite tobacco?

Peter: I smoke whatever can burn, well... almost. No real favorite brand, but I do like aromatic tobaccos as well as some Orlik's, as long as they are not to strong, but I am not that critical.

Bear: Aside from making pipes, what other things or interests are you passionate about?

Peter: Well, how much time do we have? I think it's hard to find anything related to nature or biology that during my life has not caught my serious attention. However, a few things have stayed for life: including fishing, jazz, picking mushrooms, aquariums, plants, I especially have a weakness for magnolia trees and Rhododendrons.

First my mom, and later on my wife (who is a medical doctor), have told me over and over again that each time I find a new interest that captures my attention, I get to a stage that comes close to a diagnosis of "nerd." When looking back on my life, I can see a pattern. Around every 6 months, when getting to the end of a "project," I become restless, and the need for something new to investigate becomes intense. Fortunately, something interesting usually turns up, and I am entertained for another 6 months, much to my wife's chagrin.

Want to know more about Peter's craft, check out this video interview with Sykes!