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Edwin Pipes: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Edwin Standing dublin.jpg|thumb|An early Edwin pipe, modeled after the standing or dancing Dublin shape of makers such as J. Alan. Image courtesy Kris Edwin Barber.]] | [[File:Edwin Standing dublin.jpg|thumb|An early Edwin pipe, modeled after the standing or dancing Dublin shape of makers such as J. Alan. Image courtesy Kris Edwin Barber.]] | ||
Having been involved in carpentry from a young age, Barber found that working with briar came fairly naturally. Ebonite was different - this required Barber to learn to use a new material from scratch. In time, Barber became acquainted with this popular pipe-making resin, which became a staple material for his stems. | Having been involved in carpentry from a young age, Barber found that working with briar came fairly naturally. Ebonite was different - this required Barber to learn to use a new material from scratch. In time, Barber became acquainted with this popular pipe-making resin, which became a staple material for his stems. | ||
After 6 years of making pipes part time, Barber was able to take up making Edwin pipes as his full time profession in 2018. At the same time, he moved his workshop to the shores of Lake Superior, in North-East Minnesota. <br>Contemporary Edwin pipes are marked by a distinct approach to form. While they might most readily be classified as 'freehands', Barber appears to eschew the rugged, aleatory stylings of the freehands offered, for example, by makers such as Nørding. While Barber has professed a fondness for the Danish tradition in hand made pipes, his own work does not fit neatly into the popular neo-Danish design philosophies of most current artisans either. Part of this is due to Barber's strong focus on churchwarden-style pipes, or at least pipes that are churchwarden length, which is very rare in the current artisan scene. Another rare property of Barber's work is the creation of elaborate stands for his pipes, especially his churchwardens, which is similarly rare today, but was somewhat more common in 20th century American and Danish freehand carving, such as in the works of Michael Kabik or Åge Bogelund. Neither Barber's pipes nor his stands resemble Kabik's or Bogelund's, however - though his frequent use of split stems does recall the latter's. This is because the most distinct aspect of an Edwin Pipe is an aesthetic character that oscillates between formal extremities; between hard and soft, sharp and smooth, solid and liquid, and so on. Like the higher-end pipes produced by Preben Holm, Barber's pipes are a strange marriage of the stone and the flower. There are lines in an Edwin Pipe that flow seamlessly from lips and edges so jagged they recall debris from a landslide, to efflorescent curls and swells. That the figure of the 'dragon' is a recurring theme in Barber's work is not surprising | After 6 years of making pipes part time, Barber was able to take up making Edwin pipes as his full time profession in 2018. At the same time, he moved his workshop to the shores of Lake Superior, in North-East Minnesota. <br>Contemporary Edwin pipes are marked by a distinct approach to form. While they might most readily be classified as 'freehands', Barber appears to eschew the rugged, aleatory stylings of the freehands offered, for example, by makers such as Nørding. While Barber has professed a fondness for the Danish tradition in hand made pipes, his own work does not fit neatly into the popular neo-Danish design philosophies of most current artisans either. Part of this is due to Barber's strong focus on churchwarden-style pipes, or at least pipes that are churchwarden length, which is very rare in the current artisan scene. Another rare property of Barber's work is the creation of elaborate stands for his pipes, especially his churchwardens, which is similarly rare today, but was somewhat more common in 20th century American and Danish freehand carving, such as in the works of Michael Kabik or Åge Bogelund. Neither Barber's pipes nor his stands resemble Kabik's or Bogelund's, however - though his frequent use of split stems does recall the latter's. This is because the most distinct aspect of an Edwin Pipe is an aesthetic character that oscillates between formal extremities; between hard and soft, sharp and smooth, solid and liquid, and so on. Like the higher-end pipes produced by Preben Holm, Barber's pipes are a strange marriage of the stone and the flower. There are lines in an Edwin Pipe that flow seamlessly from lips and edges so jagged they recall debris from a landslide, to the efflorescent curls and swells. That the figure of the 'dragon' is a recurring theme in Barber's work is not surprising; not simply because of its association with fantasy literature (of which Barber is a fan) and the pipes that have frequently also been part of these worlds, but because the mythical dragon is a creature whose appearance juxtaposes forms of organic life with instruments of death. | ||
While the designs of Edwin pipes frequently incorporate unsettling elements, which in addition to those described include semblances of flesh, decay, mold and mycelium, scalding wax, as well as figures more at home in an H.R. Giger painting, Barber's work does not hitch itself to shock value. Rather, it seems more like Barber is simply exploring what briar and ebonite can do. In his own descriptions of Edwin pipes, Barber emphasizes a commitment to genuine artistry in these pursuits. While Edwin pipes are undoubtedly beautiful, they also demonstrate that good art is rarely a matter of beauty alone. | |||
[[File:Edwin short dragon.jpg|left|thumb|'Short Dragon' by Edwin Pipes, made in 2021. This pipe incorporates another common feature in current Edwin pipes, that being split stems with inserts of briar or other materials. Image courtesy Kris Edwin Barber.]] | [[File:Edwin short dragon.jpg|left|thumb|'Short Dragon' by Edwin Pipes, made in 2021. This pipe incorporates another common feature in current Edwin pipes, that being split stems with inserts of briar or other materials. Image courtesy Kris Edwin Barber.]] | ||
You might also like to listen to Brian Levine's interview with Kris on the [http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/radio-talk-show/the-pipes-magazine-radio-show-episode-41/#more-7017 Pipes Magazine Radio Show]. | You might also like to listen to Brian Levine's interview with Kris on the [http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/radio-talk-show/the-pipes-magazine-radio-show-episode-41/#more-7017 Pipes Magazine Radio Show]. | ||
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== Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||
<gallery widths="300" heights="300" perrow="3"> | <gallery widths="300" heights="300" perrow="3"> | ||
File:Edwin Ball Composite.png | File:Edwin Ball Composite.png| A ball shaped Edwin pipe, made in 2023. | ||
File:Edwin 2021.jpg | File:Edwin 2021.jpg| One of Barber's 'Elephants Shield' series of Edwin Pipes. | ||
File:Edwin 2019 drip.png | File:Edwin 2019 drip.png| An Edwin pipe made in 2019 invokes melting wax, albeit in a more extreme manner than is found in Italian brands such as Caminetto or Ser Jacopo. | ||
File:Edwin tree.jpg | File:Edwin tree.jpg| The tree is a frequent motif in Edwin pipes. | ||
File:Edwin 2016.jpg | File:Edwin 2016.jpg| An earlier Edwin pipe, made in 2016, shows the beginnings of his current style, especially in the stem work, | ||
File:Edwin 2015 2.jpg | File:Edwin 2015 2.jpg| An Edwin pipe from 2015, perhaps one in tribute to Tokutomi. | ||
File:Edwin blast churchwarden.jpg|A rare, partially sandblasted Edwin pipe. | |||
</gallery>'''Contact Information:''' | </gallery>'''Contact Information:''' | ||
Kris Edwin Barber | Kris Edwin Barber | ||