"Hettinger, if you stamp 'hand made' on a dog turd, some one will buy it."
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
One reason seems to be people assumed the any-shape-goes Grand Final meant only Big Guns would enter so they wouldn't have a chance. There not being ANY "beginner" pipes this year---which used to make up 20-30% of the field---supports that idea.
Another is disappointment that P&T magazine is gone, meaning there wouldn't be a hard copy "trophy" to point to afterward for anyone. Seeing your work immortalized in print is a powerful thing.
Finally, the hobby has simply lost talent recently. Mark Price and Mike Lindner, for example. Equipment sold off, they're done. Both previous winners. I can think of several more.
On the up side, the raffle sales were still strong, so the prize money share for the winning carvers was good (a bit over $800, I think).
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Wow! Some really great looking pipes there. Congrats to the winners. I'm sad that I haven't been able to participate in the last couple of years. I hope the contest continues.
For my first time entering, I am ok with mine. I know it wasn't my best and there is a lot I would have done differently but it is what I had by the deadline and I am glad I had the balls to send it in. Congratulations to all the winners, truly beautiful work!! Hopefully there will be another contest so that I can try again.