Sandblasted Pickaxe with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Yuwei Huang is a Taiwanese carver that draws inspiration from Danish and American pipe making traditions, and his work is often highly organic and quite gestural. This angular Pickaxe is something of a departure for Huang, though it maintains elements of his signature organicism. The Dublin-like bowl rests on a pointed heel, with walls that taper down sharply from the broad, angled rim. Said rim gives the composition a dynamic, forward-urging silhouette, pairing nicely with the angle of the upturned shank and bamboo extension, which join a slightly bent vulcanite saddle stem, perfect for clenching. Dressed in rich walnut finish, the stummel's sandblast reveals crisply defined ring grain that ripples around the bowl, while the smooth rim boasts plenty of birdseye.

-Gabriel Bass