It is with great pleasure that I announce the 2010-2011 Pipe in the Hat Trade!
Unlike last year, we're not going to choose a theme for this PITH. Instead I'm going to choose the theme - Wallenstein! I had this stroke of genius in a recent thread, and when I asked Roger he was most amenable to the idea.
I'm sure most of you are familiar with Roger Wallenstein, but if not, I urge you to look at his website:
http://www.blue-lobster-pipes.com/en/wallenstein.htm
His pipes are among some of the most unusual out there, and yet they still carry a sublime sense of balance and proportion. Combining his unique aesthetic with "the rules of art" (if you believe are any) is an example for artisans everywhere to follow. Roger has, in fact, been called insane for his style of pipe making (among other quirks, I'm sure). However if you ask me, he's my kind of insane, and has directly influenced my work in a number of areas.
So, if you choose to join this PITH, you will be asked to create a pipe that pays homage to Roger's work. Incorporate the sense of proportion and style, disregard "the rules", make an insane pipe, try to hit the high points that you identify with being uniquely Wallenstein, and lets see what we can do!
The goal of this PITH is to really test yourself and step outside your comfort zone. Even experienced makers should find a real exercise here, and will undoubtedly find great new ideas to build upon and use as an avenue of growth for their artistic style - even if they never make another "Wallenstein pipe" again.
Some of you may have been around the first time I suggested a "pipe in the hat" trade, but for the newer folks, I'll reiterate what one is:
A "pipe in the hat", or PITH as I termed it, is an idea that I blatantly stole from a knife making forum that I participate in. The post explaining it is this:
And PLEASE keep in mind. ALL FORUM MEMBERS ARE WELCOME.Andrew Garret wrote:The technical deffinition of a KITH is this: Knife In The Hat = A bunch of knifemakers agree on a theme if there is to be any (i.e., spring steels, Christmas, recycled material, daggers, arrowheads, etc., etc.) and a draw date. Each maker completes a knife by the draw date, and then the host draws names from the 'hat' to determine who gets which blade. The most common method (in my own experience) is to draw the names and make a list. Each maker sends his knife to the maker whose name appears below his on the list. The guy on the bottom ships to the guy on top. Done. Right? Not quite...
A KITH as it was conveyed to me is a modern adaptation of an old practice where guys at a job site would gather at lunch on Friday and throw their pocket knife in a hat, draw one out and that was what they carried for the rest of the week. Around these parts, the KITH evolved from an IITH (Iron In The Hat), where projects were kept very simple (arrowheard for example) to encourage participation.
In the end, a KITH is about community. It represents a challenge to new makers to do their very best work because they are sending it to someone who knows knives as well or better than they do. An honest critique can be a blow to a sensitive ego, but worth so very much in the development of a maker. For the ol' masters, it represents a chance to share years of accumulated knowledge and wisdom. For all, it represents a sense of brotherhood, sharing, and belonging.
It doesn't matter if you've been carving for 5 years or 5 weeks, you should feel welcome to participate. If a pro or semi-pro joins in, he does so eyes wide open, and with the knowledge that he may get the work of a total noob. Maybe he's feeling as if this is some way he can give back to the community from which he learned, or perhaps he's trying to foster the continued presence of talented pipe carvers from around the world. Whatever the reasons, please don't be intimidated by it - the goal is to get folks learning, collaborating, and, most of all, establishing lasting relationships in this brotherhood.
I'm proposing that we set a deadline for completion after the New Year, perhaps January 31 to give folks enough time after the holiday to focus on their efforts.
So, who among you miserable competitors is in?
