Smooth Boxwood Scoop with Bakelite Tobacco Pipe

Every July since 2015, Smokingpipes has hosted the American Pipe-Making Exposition, an event that showcases the work of a number of America's best artisan pipe makers, all united under a central theme. This theme acts as a guideline which sets the stage for pieces that, while they may share a similar trait, are each unique, showcasing the singular sensibilities of the artisan who crafted it. For 2023, the theme was alternate stummel materials, and, to that end, Micah Redmond has presented us with this soft and supple Scoop carved from Boxwood.

Tennessee-based artisan Micah Redmond was introduced to the realm of pipes by a friend and band mate, inadvertently leading him down a rabbit hole which then sparked a passion, with Redmond beginning his path as a carver in 2009. His discovery of Danish-inspired pipe making, such as those pieces made by Todd Johnson, Jody Davis, Gotoh, and Tokutomi, opened his eyes to seeing pipes as art, and influenced his shaping style from then on. His early work for Smokers' Haven solidified his foundational knowledge and thereby accelerated his progress quite a bit, so much so that, in 2015, Redmond joined the team at BriarWorks, all while still crafting his own handmade pipes.

The Scoop isn't a shape we see too often from most any artisan, making this piece doubly desirable, though the lines of the pipe do an excellent job of drawing the eye. Looking quite graceful as it tapers out of the wide transition, the shank here lifts gently as it makes its way toward a demurely curved saddle stem made from plum-colored Bakelite, the combination offering a comfortable smoking posture. Though this combination isn't particularly slender, it maintains a subtle bit of fluidity and does well to balance the bowl, a structure which here sits atop a sweeping heel that descends just a bit beneath the chamber. The walls of the bowl flare out significantly at the flanks, pushing out into a rounded, compressed shape whose broad sides fill out the hand wonderfully. The softness of this bowl is impressive, with ample contours and an appropriately scoop-like shape which curls up at the fore and rises to a rounded peak at the rim, while the aft arcs down gently from the rim to the transition. The bowl's broadness at the flanks not only lends it comfort in the hand, but keeps the silhouette here quite balanced if seen from the sides, while an aerial perspective pushes nearly all of the visual weight on the bowl. Dressed in a light, smooth finish, the stummel here showcases some very subtle grain patterns, as the boxwood's swirls ripple across its surfaces, its hues contrasted strikingly by the stem.