WAR CROW
¤ Custom Case by Phil Eastwood ¤
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If you haven't before seen a case by Phil Eastwood, you may be surprised just how far this art form has progressed. Phil is a leather artist working out of Colorado who has taken this medium to a new level. I wanted a special case for the Tonkin Mountain Cue, and asked Phil to design something for me. This case is the result.
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It isn't just the incredible, creative design that makes this case so special - it also has to do with the meticulous detail contained in the carving and colors. This is a big case, and it has a lot of leather with which to work. Phil utilizes every square inch to weave together a complete piece of art.
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He calls this case the "War Crow" and actually uses the name twice on the case - once on the front and again on the strap. The lid of the case - in typical Eastwood fashion - is comprised of a large Indian head and face capped with a full head-dress. The entire front is carved with a series of colored triangles, with a draping of buckskin fringe running down both sides. He created a very interesting optical illusion with the fringe - as you look at the case from the front you get the impression is gets smaller toward the bottom.
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Just look at the detail in the face and the head-dress - the feathers are so intricately carved they look like photographs. The entire case is filled with carefully thought-out details. On each side there are two pigtails, each different, and he meticulously carved the face off an Indian-head nickel on each.
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The back of the case presents another whole picture. He used it as a canvas on which to do almost an entirely separate piece of work, by building a miniature bone breast plate the entire length of the case. It's just incredible. Finally, he carves lots of other little details into the strap, as well as filling every little nook and cranny around the case with separate little designs. You can look at this case for an hour and continue to find things you haven't seen before.
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As you can see, there's no shortage of work in this case. And there's no shortage of artistic creativity, either. It is truly a magnificant piece of art. There are a number of great casemakers building cases today, but Phil is really in a class of his own.
This case is the perfect compliment to the Mountain Cue for which it was designed, and is currently not for sale.
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