Mikhail Garmash

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Garmash is from Kyiv, Ukraine and now lives in St. Petersburg, Russia. After finishing his studies, he worked as baker-technologist. While working he found himself attracted to the creative arts and in 2015 he got interested in pipes. He first took a workshop with Andrei Grigoriev, then moved outside the city to spend a year learning more from him, what we would call mentoring.  When the year ended he knew this is what he wanted to do.

He was quickly welcomed into the St. Petersburg pipe/artisan community. There he learnt more and was influenced by Mikhail Revyagin and Alexander Brishita and other local pipe makers.

As he is just 32 he is obviously a natural. Every pipe he makes  whether a straight sandblast or a smooth bent has his distinctive look. He uses mainly Italian and Algerian briar, his favorite, when he can get it. The stems he hand cut’s from German Vulcanite, occasionally Cumberland and very, very rarely acrylic.

His stamps his pipes either GM (script) + year, and some with a round stamp Red Frontier (arched) GM in the center, Pipes underneath. "Frontier" as in new things and ideas. 

Each of the 70-80 pipes he makes a year whether small or large is made with meticulous attention to detail. Each pipe comes with a laser cut handmade wood box that is without the use of metal. A fusion of old and new, an ancient Ukrainian craft in the 21st C. You will be amazed how superb Mikhail ‘s pipes are.