Smooth Freehand with Masur Birch Tobacco Pipe

A remarkably organic rendition from the hands of Kent Rasmussen, this piece displays eye-watering straight grain running vertically around the bowl, topped at the rim with tight birdseye. A ridge runs along the left side of the rim and travels down the far side of the pipe and all the way up to the stem, and it's crisp, sharp, well-defined, and integral to the design, with vertical grain on one side of the ridge and birdseye on the other. From top, bottom, left and right, the dramatic flare of the shank into a Mazur Birch fitment is evident, immediately stepping down to the saddle stem. There is no angle from which this pipe fails in visual interest. Turn it, and there's another unexpected feature that only Kent Rasmussen could imagine.