Marek Kando

Marek Kando is a young carver from Slovakia. A man of many talents, Marek has a degree in management science, is a painter, student, and of course loves to make pipes. Marek’s work is unique in the sense that unlike many carvers, he has had limited contact with other artisans face to face. This has allowed Marek’s aesthetic to develop naturally, free from the cross-contaminating influence that is so common among many artisans, although he does claim an early influence by both the Russian and Japanese schools of design.

Marek likes to make smaller pipes and is one of the few artisans we know of that likes to make Oom Pauls as well. The size and shape of Marek’s pipes absolutely beg to be held and clenched and each is carefully designed to his exacting standards. If a pipe doesn’t measure up, he discards it. Most of his stems are made from ebonite and he does incorporate elegant natural woods such as purpleheart, boxwood, and ebony.

Marek’s pipes are marked simply with his name, a modest mark that we know is synonymous with quality. We are looking forward to great things from Marek, as this talented youngster is just getting started.