Sandblasted Bent Egg Tobacco Pipe

Brazilian carver Luis Lavos gained an appreciation for woodworking as a child in his grandfather's workshop. He grew up to study graphic arts, but his early appreciation for woodwork never left him, so it seemed only natural for him to take up pipe making. Lavos learned an immense amount about the craft from Sabina Santos, Premal Chheda, and Hans "Former" Nielsen, and he cites Tom Eltang and Jess Chonowitsch as influences on his work. Danish influence is evident in this bent Egg offering, as it possesses the same supple curves, precise line work, and organic sensibility found in that school of design.

This piece boasts a tall bowl with a chubby midsection and a rim that dramatically favors the fore over the aft.The bowl stands atop a lifted heel, which, in concert with the aforementioned rim's raised posture, lends the overall shape a dynamic profile, one that's accentuated by the shank-and-stem arrangement's sinuous build. The oval shank curls from the low-set transition and marries a demurely curved half-saddle stem whose elevated shoulder continues the shank's implied trajectory. The bowl's rounded contours conform naturally to the hand, and the transition leaves plenty of space to drape a digit. A dark sandblast dresses the stummel and brings vivid definition to a handsome display of birdseye and cross grain about the bowl.