As Russian soldiers stood outside his window last month, Ukrainian pipe carver Max Bogdan continued to do what he loved for as long as he could do it – make pipes in the likeness of Hollywood celebrities.
Bogdan’s latest pipe is carved to look like actor Danny Trejo (Machete). Based on one of his last Instagram posts, it seems like Bogdan was trying to finish his Trejo pipe as fast as possible.
“Hello from Ukraine,” Bogdan wrote. “My city is occupied by Russian troops. So, I hurried to finish Machete pipe. Don’t know what will happen next, but think when the war is over, I will send it to [Danny Trejo].”
Bogdan started carving pipes in 2018 and is a self-taught artist. His business is called Craftsman Pipes. He’s carved pipes of several fictional characters, including Frankenstein’s monster, X-Men’s Wolverine, the Terminator, The Lord of the Rings’ Gimli, and Hellboy. He’s even gotten his pipes into the hands of the celebrities who portrayed the characters he’s carved, including actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ron Perlman.
In one of his last posts on Instagram, Bogdan was excited to find out that Trejo reposted a photo of his pipe on his Instagram page.
“Perhaps this is the most unexpected and joyful news lately,” he wrote. “[Danny Trejo] published Machete pipe on his Instagram. I move forward.”
Bodgan’s last post came nearly a week ago. He wrote that he was safe, but that the “situation is difficult.”
“The Russians have blocked our phones and want to block the internet,” he wrote. “Don’t know when I’ll be in touch. But no matter what, our spirit is strong.”