Artisans and Funky Pipe Shapes
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That is truly the rub though, isn't it? Is there anything truly "new" under the sun? I remember those heady days when the Danish freehands first hit the shores of America, and I acquired a few of them, because they were different. 30 years later, I can get one from just about any carver. I am still drawn to those shapes, but I also know that there will be quite a difference between a Nording, and an Ardor, and a one-off commission from a high end artisan.
You really have to consider that a pipe-maker, who truly loves the craft, will put just as much effort into a perfectly carved billiard as any of these wilder one-off shapes. Commission what you want if you are that particular. Lets give credit to those who are trying to make a name for themselves with something different.
The free market will determine who is in it for the long haul.
You really have to consider that a pipe-maker, who truly loves the craft, will put just as much effort into a perfectly carved billiard as any of these wilder one-off shapes. Commission what you want if you are that particular. Lets give credit to those who are trying to make a name for themselves with something different.
The free market will determine who is in it for the long haul.
I am a pipe buyer who only buys traditional shapes. Call me boring or old fashioned but I want my pipes to look like a pipe, not some weird fish. I am very thankful that artisans of the quality of a Rad Davis, Bruce Weaver, Scott Thile to name just a few, make pipes for people like me. I get to smoke their wonderful pipes and still get the classic shapes that I enjoy. Now if an artisan adds some of his own vision to a classic shape, I can appreciate that as well. When I see all kinds of weird fish like shapes or pipes that have no resemblance to any type of classical shape, I just move on.
I would be willing to bet that the percentage of pipe smokers that are like me is ten times the number of the people who enjoy all the weird shaped pipes out there. If an artisan cannot make the classic shapes like a billiard than what good is he. I think an artisan should get the classics down pat and then he can move on to the less traditional shapes.
I would be willing to bet that the percentage of pipe smokers that are like me is ten times the number of the people who enjoy all the weird shaped pipes out there. If an artisan cannot make the classic shapes like a billiard than what good is he. I think an artisan should get the classics down pat and then he can move on to the less traditional shapes.
Why didn't Arne Jacobsen just design a normal chair?
I think for the most part that neoclassical Danish can be now considered new normal,
and maybe even traditional considering how widespread those design cues are now.
I don't really care for blowfish, but I do concede that it's a difficult shape to execute properly and I can understand why so many artisans take up the challenge - plus, it seems to be a very popular shape with collectors.
Like ChasingEmbers said, you'd hafta read up on the seminal Great Danes to discover the genesis - almost every nonstandard shape popular today can be traced back to them.
I like the way many of the Japanese makers embraced the Danish aesthetic yet added a substantial reworking of it too, most notably a playful naturalism and elements of asymmetry.
Although I prefer the Beckerish designs of Gian Maria Gamoni:
Like Cosmic said, Paulo Becker took the traditional French/British shapes and made them into something totally new and very fresh, as well as coming up with his own out-of-the-blue unique designs which remapped the territory.
A few makers have developed their own unique and very distinct design vocabulary which references nothing else except the depths of their creative psyche, not just a signature style but a whole new language - someone like Wallenstein immediately jumps to mind:
http://www.blue-lobster-pipes.com/typical.htm
David M. writes very well on this topic of such stuff...
http://tobaccodays.com/blurbs/how-to-visually-explain-our-favorite-pipe-makers-design-styles/
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"I would be willing to bet that the percentage of pipe smokers that are like me is ten times the number of the people who enjoy all the weird shaped pipes out there"
Agree
Agree
I dig it mlc!!! Maybe there are ten times as many people who want a billiard, and there are a hundred times as many people making them. As a side note, I don't think of Rad Davis' shapes as classic, he pushes the envelope in the same way Becker does, IMO. But, yes I have seen some regular pipe looking thing by him also.
But, few classic pipe shapes bring in the same top dollar as Beckers get day in and day out.
But, I only argue as someone who sees a B&M unload boxes of these things and then turn around and ship them out day in and day out. I, myself, look for just bulldogs and dublins, but I do prefer the artisan to push the envelope on these. Symmetry? eh, if it is asymmetrical in a way that looks intentional and interesting, then heck yeh I want it. When I smoke my pipe I want to evoke conversations, talking about my pipe, about pipes in general, the hobby, all of the things that I am passionate about. If I was setting there smoking the same things they see other guys smoking, I may not get that opportunity. ...just another pipesmoker...
But, few classic pipe shapes bring in the same top dollar as Beckers get day in and day out.
But, I only argue as someone who sees a B&M unload boxes of these things and then turn around and ship them out day in and day out. I, myself, look for just bulldogs and dublins, but I do prefer the artisan to push the envelope on these. Symmetry? eh, if it is asymmetrical in a way that looks intentional and interesting, then heck yeh I want it. When I smoke my pipe I want to evoke conversations, talking about my pipe, about pipes in general, the hobby, all of the things that I am passionate about. If I was setting there smoking the same things they see other guys smoking, I may not get that opportunity. ...just another pipesmoker...
cos, I guess Rad does put his own flair on classic shapes in many instances. I am just so used to lookng at them I guess that they seem fairly classical to me. Here is a Rad Rhodesian that I own and it is the most unique pipe in my collection. When Jess Chonowitsch makes a standard Billiard, he gets 5 grand for it. lol
Harris, that is what I think of when I think of "funky" and that happens to be one of my absolute favorites by him. Even his play on the billiard is sort of "out there" not classic to me in any way.
It's funny when someone like Rad, Paulo, or Tinsky can make such marvelous designs, to hear someone say that they would want to see a plain old billiard by these guys before they can access whether they are any good. I would hope that one of these guys would just gather up there wares and walk away from that sort of person.
I know what you mean by some of the artisans though. There are some that are beyond bizzaro. And, that's ok too. When someone can make a whale being harpooned in abstract and it still be a good smoker, what the fig does his play on a billiard matter? I think that a lot of that BS talk about "but, how does he make a billiard," comes from that batch of crappy pipemaker wannabes on that pipemakers forum place. Guys who are more about back slapping bravado and bashing each other than making actual pipes. I've made a mental note to avoid all pipes made by that group of hoodlums. It's insulting to the collectors and having a bunch of incestial designers feeding off of each other is counter productive to the creative process IMO.
It's funny when someone like Rad, Paulo, or Tinsky can make such marvelous designs, to hear someone say that they would want to see a plain old billiard by these guys before they can access whether they are any good. I would hope that one of these guys would just gather up there wares and walk away from that sort of person.
I know what you mean by some of the artisans though. There are some that are beyond bizzaro. And, that's ok too. When someone can make a whale being harpooned in abstract and it still be a good smoker, what the fig does his play on a billiard matter? I think that a lot of that BS talk about "but, how does he make a billiard," comes from that batch of crappy pipemaker wannabes on that pipemakers forum place. Guys who are more about back slapping bravado and bashing each other than making actual pipes. I've made a mental note to avoid all pipes made by that group of hoodlums. It's insulting to the collectors and having a bunch of incestial designers feeding off of each other is counter productive to the creative process IMO.
cos, I agree that it is those guys who need to learn how to make a billiard first. I think there is something to be said about a pipe maker who has taken the time to learn some of the classics just so he can understand what it takes to make a great smoking pipe first and foremost. After all the inner workings of the pipe is more important than doing some crazy shapes. If a pipe maker cannot get a billiard to smoke properly, what makes him think he will get a fancy shape to smoke right?
And, that is where we differ. I am in the camp that says that two holes line up, boom, what more engineering is needed? Every pipe smokes great, you just have to learn how it wants to be smoked. Guys were smoking sticks stuck into stone bowls for hundreds of years... in fact is we looked at the age of tobacco as being a 24 hour period, it's only been a couple of hours that men even used briar, and probably merely minutes that guys had any notion of engineering. Most of that is garbage talk by the pipemakers themselves. But, when I take the calipers to the pipes that I have had made, it's not really a matter of rocket science at all. Two holes, and I prefer them to meet inside the briar, ha ha. The rest is just pipemaker trash talk. ...and individual preferences. You may have a set of preferences that you look for in a pipe. And, when one is outside of your zone of being a "great" smoker. If you pass it off to someone else, they may find it to be their "best" smoker. Quality is subjective. I like drawing the wild card occasionally. Get that one pipe that is a challenge to learn. That one pipe that delivers the reward when I finally figure it out. That is what I love about the hobby. All that stuff about "all pipes must have..." phhhht, monkey farts! There ain't no bad pipes...
"Guys were smoking sticks stuck into stone bowls for hundreds of years..."
^^^ Completely agree. There are no moving parts. The technology is elemental and primitive, the art-form is a whole nother thing.
^^^ Completely agree. There are no moving parts. The technology is elemental and primitive, the art-form is a whole nother thing.
In my opinion, the artisans run the gambit, from ultra-traditional in the best classic style to mind-blowing sculpted shapes on which I cannot decide where the bowl and bit even are. You might say, that kind of range is their assignment. But if what you want are craftsmen's interpretations of traditional shapes, there are an army of artisans doing those. Plenty.
I'm with MisterLowerCase.
I thought I am a traditional chair shape person until I saw a designer chair and felt love a first sight. It's similar to many form of art, there are basic assignments that an artist / sculptor need to master. However, seeing the meticulous creations by some of the professional artisan makers, one would cast away all their doubts about their abilities.
Here is an article about how designer shapes, i.e. freehand shapes came into the picture of Pipe making in Denmark, quite a good read.
http://www.tecon-gmbh.de/info_pages.php?pages_id=31&language=en
I thought I am a traditional chair shape person until I saw a designer chair and felt love a first sight. It's similar to many form of art, there are basic assignments that an artist / sculptor need to master. However, seeing the meticulous creations by some of the professional artisan makers, one would cast away all their doubts about their abilities.
Here is an article about how designer shapes, i.e. freehand shapes came into the picture of Pipe making in Denmark, quite a good read.
http://www.tecon-gmbh.de/info_pages.php?pages_id=31&language=en
cos,
There are a lot more things to consider than just 2 holes lining up in my opinion. Shank dimension is very important. Having the tenon fit the mortise precisely is very important. Having a stem that is engineered properly is very important. All of these things go into whether a pipe will smoke great, or be a wet smoking piece of shit. If it was all about just 2 holes lining up, people would not be paying hundreds of dollars for an artisan made pipe or even high quality factory pipes.
:clap:
Best.Quote.Ever.
I wish more makers would list comprehensive specs, like how David Enrique (I'm close to a commish with this guy, he's good!) lists airway size and stem thickness etc:
http://www.enriquepipes.com/en/accord/squashrhodesianshell.htm
That is one sexy BooDog!
Like if a maker lists a pipe spec'd with a conical bowl, that'd help swing me toward buying their pipe because I love true conical bowls the best and there's not many out there it seems...
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MLC, thanks for the nice comment. I would also love to see specs like you listed, it would make purchasing a lot easier especially since most of us have to buy a pipe based on pictures and descriptions. I think maybe we should suggest to SP to start listing these things in their descriptions because if they did it, many would follow suit as they are the market maker. Why don't you start a thread titled Dear Smokingpipes, and then in the body tell them all of the specs you would like to see in their descriptions. I know for a fact they will read the post.
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