The great spur maker John Ennis once remarked that one difference between a visual artist and a craftsman is that the work begins after the drawing is finished. Unless you’re endowed with the phenomenal skill of say, Sam Maloof, working designs out on paper is a good idea. Many leather craftsmen work out their floral […]
Bill Owen
History will consider Bill Owen one of the finest cowboy artists of his time. Bill lived the cowboy life and interpreted that life accurately for all of us to enjoy. I have had to evaluate shows with Bill’s work in them and have found that he not only mastered the medium of oils, as well […]
Floral Design II by Schwarz Productions
Cary Schwarz and Schwarz Productions (TJ Schwarz) presents something for beginner and advanced leather carvers. This DVD is a tutorial that breaks down the design-on-paper into bite sized pieces. It is a series of exercises where the viewer, with pencil and sketchbook in hand follow line-for-line a variety of flowers, leaves and scrolls. These exercises […]
…and a horse and rider appeared in the west.
It was June 6, 1944. Allied forces, primarily American, British, and Canadian cracked the “Atlantic Wall” Hitler had established in anticipation of just such an invasion. It was the largest concentration of military personnel and materiel in history and will likely never be repeated. The first wave of soldiers landing at Omaha Beach was especially […]
The Machine
I first learned how to sew on a harness stitcher in the summer of 1979 in Twin Falls, Idaho. The shop I worked for was a high quality holster production outfit owned by Chet Hillman. Chet had a contract to make the Thompson Center Contender holsters back in the day when silhouette shooting was popular. […]
The Work of Our Hands
I’m violating some of my ‘rules’ with regard to decoration on this year’s TCAA saddle. The color on the flowers is something I’ve done before, but have never been very fond of the idea. I reduced the color so that after oiling and antiquing, it should be subtle. I’ve done some experimenting on some scrap […]
Hand sewing
These days I look for opportunities to sew things by hand. Here’s a few nuggets I learned from Jean Luc Parisot in France four years ago…1. Fold your buckle ends around so that the grain side is against the hardware. This provides for a bit of added durability. 2. Hand sewing allows you to get […]
Hot Oil Treatment
In recent visits with the current CEO Shep Hermann at Hermann Oak Leather , the saddlemakers of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association have discussed recommendations on care and maintenance of saddles. Shep recommends neatsfoot oil…the best of which is available through Weaver Leather under the “Shep’s” label. (It is a coincidence that the outfit making […]
Inspiration
Inspiration comes from many sources. It’s getting harder to keep track of where all the ideas come from. This year’s TCAA saddle is well under way and as I’m ‘stealing’ time from other projects to get it completed by the early August deadline. I’ve had this Al Tietjen stainless steel cheek bit (that I […]
Saddle Butter
The great Ray Holes of Grangeville, Idaho developed a leather conditioner he called “Saddle Butter” many years ago. It has a combination of beeswax, neatsfoot oil, carnauba wax and a variety of other ingredients. I’ve used it liberally over the years on new and used saddles. The saddle will never be cleaner than when it […]
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