Pfeifenbox
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Pfeifenbox |
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Starting with soapstone...Sweden's contributions to the pipe world are rarely less than exorbitantly expensive - but Love Geiger's uniquely modest lifestyle may help keep a ceiling on his prices. The 26-year-old is currently in the throes of going full-time and has already attracted the attention of respected dealers and collectors. |
26 year old Love Geiger |
"For me it has been what I wanted to do for a while - so I wouldn't say the decision is difficult," Love says of his steps towards professionalism. "In one way or another, you've got to find out if there is a market out there for your pipes." The young Swede knows that the ultimate challenge is producing "good pipes in a multitude, without reducing the originality of your work too much." But he's confident that being able to spend even more time honing his skills will offset any negative effects of the pressure. According to German collector Jörg Lehmann, those skills are already quite developed. He says his own Geiger (shown on this page) is nicely executed, provides a cool smoke and has a comfortable, Bo-Nordh-style bit. "The extravagant shape isn't at all awkward. On the contrary, it's fun to hold this pipe and stroke the snail-like bowl." Plenty of time to practice
By contrast, Love has had plenty of time to consider his options and dress rehearse his future. Living in an alternative rural community with about a dozen other people, he is fairly unhampered by financial concerns. "We collaborate to keep this place running at its best, eat a few meals together each week, but all have our separate living houses. One of the many advantages is that we pay virtually no rent - and not many of the other expenses that you would normally have in a city. We cut a great deal of our own wood for heating and also have a water turbine that produces electricity for us." Geiger has taken a variety of short-term jobs over the years, but states that he has essentially been able to spend "more or less the time I want to in the shop." Last year, his girlfriend inherited a modest sum of money, and the two were even able to skip their annual stints at Christmas markets, where they would normally make some cash selling seasonal foodstuff. Love says he is grateful for his first couple of years "with crappy briar and garage tools. It made me realize that I really wanted to do this, and I learned a lot from it, giving away pipes as presents or selling cheaply to friends. Then it comes to a point where you decide to invest something to be able to do quality work. It can amount to a great sum of money, plus the time to learn all the machinery." A romantic's view Six years into carving, Love's output is still fairly diverse, ranging from 'Gothic' to sculptural. He says he has received some guidance from several quarters, including Bengt Carlson, who helped him learn how to use a lathe. But design-wise, he doesn't appear to have a guru. Certainly, he is not leaning in a 'Danish classic' direction, but nor does his admiration for Trever Talbert show in more than a couple of his pipes. "It may be a while before Love demonstrates a clear preference for one of the styles he's been experimenting with," says one collector. Meanwhile, Geiger is working on building a stockpile of well-aged briar. "The net has helped somewhat," he explains, "One can now buy directly from cutters on several sites. Of course, the problem is building up enough stock and drying it properly - most briar available on the market is only dried for about a year's time." Given the worldwide decline in smoking, many people might by concerned that the investment could prove a hasty one - especially for such a young man with decades of work ahead of him. Does the future of pipedom not worry Love Geiger, just a little? He appears to shrug the thought off easily: "Surprisingly, my answer to that one is 'no'. As with many crafts, I do believe we will see an upturn in the future as people get tired off all things mass produced. Also, pipe smoking is one of the few smoking forms I believe will come back. It is something entirely different to cigarette smoking - not something you do mostly out of need, but because you really love and enjoy it. A moment of meditation in a much too stressed-out world. This might be a romantic's view, but it is mine." |
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(November 20, 2003) |
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© 2003 und ViSdP: Martin Farrent
Love Geiger has come a long way since 1997,
when he carved his first pipe - out of soapstone, lacking bruyere and
experience. Now featured among the great on Lars Kiel's authoritative website,