March 19, 2014
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Pen Porn.
I’ve been bad. Real bad. Surfing through the internet many a times to get my fix of pen porn. Yup, it’s official. I’m obsessed. Downright spellbound by the many images of brown skinned beauties. Each with its own distinctive swirls of grain, blotches of eyes, and shades of natural brown, they hit a cord deep within me.
Transfixing my eyes on my MacBook screen, my right middle finger slowly move up and down on the scroll pad, welcoming the many eye candies bombarding my vision. Just when I thought I have seen the most beautiful creation, then another one appeared right after. Then another. Then another. Then another. Is it any wonder why I can’t seem to limit my credit card usage when confronted with such temptations? My weakness for wooden fountain pens pleadingly needs a remedy.
From time to time, like any sane fountain pen enthusiast, I’d be online, surfing through the many sites selling fountain pens, just to get a feel of what’s available, what’s new, and what bargain one may find. Not necessarily to make another purchase. And so for many months now, I have been in and out of many sites and found myself eyeing several possible options for my next acquisition or two.
One of those potential purveyors is Fine Writing International (FWI). A passionate fountain pen maker in Taiwan, who hand-makes stunning-looking wooden fountain pens using many varieties of wood material from around the world. His creations seem to display his deep appreciation for working with natural materials. The same approach that I would expect from Japan and the nation’s many arts and crafts.
Ever since I found FWI through Facebook, I couldn’t help but to keep following his many postings on new released products. He is a stationary seller in Taipei that specializes on fountain pens and the many accessories to go with them. He has custom-made many wooden fountain pens in various style and material, and the craftsmanship looks like the work of the highest artistry. I personally have affection for a deeper shade of brown wood, especially those that come with an interesting pattern for its natural grain. The following are some of his work that became my favorites:
Bocote
Circassia
Cocobolo
Mun Ebony
Shiraz
Taiwan incense burl
My hands are sweating from the itch of wanting to touch one of them fountain pens. Just to feel the texture of the wood and to see, physically, the true beauty of their grain pattern and color. I made a promise to myself that when I get a chance to visit Taipei again, I’d be sure to visit his shop and bring back one of these babies home with me. If there is only one thing I could bring back from the trip, this would be it. Hands down. Now I just need to find out HOW MUCH one of these babies would cost me…
Comments (4)
Rudy, this is amazing. I went to that site you have posted, and I am drooling.
isn't it? i have drooled many times over the exquisite items shown on the site, to a point where i just got to have one. period.
Often an artist puts in his style into a work of art but in the case of wood, the artist brings out the best traits of that wood.
I hope you find the right pen to fit your mood and your budget.
i hope so too. one of the many things about wood that i am fond of is that they all different. no two are exactly alike. its natural material also tend to change its look overtime and ages well. i take my hat off to all of the world's artists who are able to show off the beauty of the humble persona of wood.