This Shoe was a commissioned piece.  My challenge was to create a pipe stand in the shape of an old shoe. Our best client had a plastic shoe pipe holder, and loved the way it looked.  The problem was that it was small to hold many of his pipes, and was made of plastic.  I was given this model to work from to create its wooden twin.

I am always excited to work on commissions; they help me as an artist to take myself out of the planning.  The client has the vision.
It’s my job to make it come true. It helps me become technically better at carving, by forcing me to pay attention to every detail.

I carved the shoe from a block of solid cherry wood.  The wood leant itself perfectly to the theme of the shoe. Any of you who carve know, that the devil is in the details. It was the details that really brought this carving to life. The pictures speak for themselves. It will accommodate medium to large pipes.