opossum

Howdy, Very cool; I can see several applications. David

Howdy, With friends in Eugene the trip alone to see them to decompress is worth it, but I'll check it out when I'm there plus one of my friends there mentioned some sort of artist co-op or something where leather work was being done...I might be confused about that part. As far as being an apprentice, I really doubt there is someone out there who likes to make weird things with leather such as some of the things I mentioned, however learning even the basics such as how to tell when the leather you are working with is cased correctly, using dyes, stitching etc would go a long way towards any future leatherwork I believe. So, I'll give Tandy a try when I can since my schedule rotates around some. A trade show in Pendelton in November? Oddly enough that is also the month the Fall Round up Poker tournament is; now I have two reasons to go. Powell's is normally an excellent source of reading material & I have as of yet to hit them up, but will do so this weekend. Thanks for all the pointers & I figure T&E is life. David

Howdy, I visited Oregon Leather Company yesterday & it takes up the whole block it seems with lots of leather & a bunch of tack. I can understand this as I assume most of the money to be made is in products for horse owners with a lesser amount for motorcycle items, fixing household furniture & automotive seats etc. Sadly, I am not really interested in any of those except one or two. Surprisingly, they offer no classes & pointed me towards Tandy. This led me to believe the only way to learn is to either know someone or through trial & error. We shall see. @BillB - Thanks for the information; I shall look into those when I return from work this evening. I have friends in Eugene & often make trips down there, so that may work out quite well. @electrathon - I need to crawl before I can walk, so anything I learn will be great as you never know where or where that ah ha moment will come. That said, what is fueling my ambition is thoughts of making the saddle bags for my bike, some leather armor & costuming pieces for myself or friends, putting the family crest on a piece; maybe on a shield or something...basically things which seem to be in the minority. Not that I have anything against saddles & tack, but I really doubt even if I ended up making a saddle nobody would want it once I got done putting the design on it I wanted & while I don't know what that would be it most likely wouldn't be the standard western motifs I normally associate with riding...but then I haven't been around many horses since I moved from eastern Oregon. David

Howdy, Small World - I saw your work over Labor Day & you let a friend of mine not only put these on, but take pictures of them. She got back home two days ago & I'll make sure she gets the photographs to you as promised...You are also to blame, along with Michael Cook, for driving me here to see what I can do (eventually). They look & are even more amazing in person! Thanks for sharing & for coming to Dragon*Con! David PS - Did I catch you showing your portfolio to Larry Elmore?

Howdy, I was at a convention in Atlanta over the Labor Day weekend (US Holiday) & sat in on a panel hosted by a Michael Cook which inspired me to look into this craft. Now that I am back home in the Portland, Oregon area I've found two places via Google which sell supplies to leatherworkers: Tandy Leather Factory Oregon Leather Company I have visited Tandy & will be visiting the other in a few hours. Tandy has some basic classes every week & I'm sure Oregon Leather Co. has the same sort of thing. This would seem to be a good place to begin, however I would rather become associated with a group or artist co-op/area. My question: Are there any co-ops or leatherworking groups in the Portland area? And while I have a full time job which I have been at for 20+ years maybe there is a leatherworker who (and this is antiquated) looking for an apprentice? I'm not looking to be paid in cash, just knowledge & I'll buy my own stuff. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. David

Howdy, Brand new here, but this is an inspiring piece & while most have commented on the outside I like the inside, because you continue the theme without drawing away from the main focus. This is also my first introduction to this type of work with leather & has opened my eyes to more possibilities. Thank you for sharing, David