Anastasopoulos, Kostas
In addition to being a talented pipe carver, Athenian Konstantinos Anastasopoulos has an extensive background in fine arts & graphic design and is a painter who can boast several solo and group exhibitions through Greece.
Much in the same manner as many of today’s top carving talents, Anastasopoulos entered pipe making as a hobby; in his particular case he had scoured local stores in order to find a briar suited to his smoking habits and personal style (small in size and modernist in execution), and, upon coming up empty-handed, decided to try his hand at creating one. Many a carver’s first attempt at making a pipe, by their own admission, was a disaster, but Konstantinos’ turned out encouragingly well — with his only negative self-evaluations being that he should have spent the money to obtain better briar, and that he needed a mentor to hone his technique. He found that teacher in Kostas Gourvelos, and never looked back. Quite the contrary, after Kostas taught him the basics, Konstantinos traveled to Denmark and learned many aspects of the craft from the likes of Tom Eltang, Poul Ilsted, Manduela, Nanna Ivarsson, Tao and Former.
Konstantinos employs only the finest Grecian briar and German ebonite in his craft, all of his stems are hand carved, and he places his highest priority on creating a pipe that will deliver an unsurpassed smoking experience. In addition to his initials within a rectangle, you will also find a four or five digit code on the stamping panel, with the last two representing the year of production. Thus (say) a code of 0613 indicates the sixth pipe he created in 2013.
You might also enjoy reading the Bear Graves Interview: Meet Konstantinos Anastasopoulos
Photos by Al Pascià Srl, Milano, Italy
Contact Information:
E-mail: artisventus@gmail.com Anastasopoulos Pipes Official Site