Making pipes is the complex intersection of all my creative pursuits, and it is exactly what I want to do. It is the centre of my personal satisfaction – in terms of skills, aesthetics and my pursuits as an artist. I always search for something new, and it also brings me peace of mind in difficult times.

For the last 200 years, the classic approach has been the two-piece tobacco pipes: head and mouthpiece. Shapes could be different with an almost infinite number of models. And it is in shapes that I find an endless field of expression.

This craft is very niche. While the classic pipe was gaining momentum in Europe, Bulgaria was still under Ottoman rule. Pipemaking did not develop after the Liberation, either. During communism, low-quality pipes were imported from a Czech state-owned factory and the craft failed to take a foothold locally. There are no traditions in pipemaking or pipe smoking and I have no apprentices. Two friends of mine were curious about pipemaking, but there are no people whom I have trained who have continued to do it.

In my work I merge many influences and modern materials. It requires a very high level of attention and precision. It is no accident that the pipes are divided into handmade and factory-made. When you make it by hand, you choose the briar block according to the design of the pipe, the drilling and the type of finish. Every time it is a custom piece and a new challenge to achieve exactly what you envision.