Whose work inspires you?

[ruthless]

Please post links to your favourite leatherworkers websites here. I'm fairly new to this and would love some benchmarks to aspire to

Cheers.

[wildrose]

I'm sure I'll get jumped on for this, but in my opinion Peter Main is the best. That's not to say I don't think there are other phenomenal leatherworkers out there, but he's my favorite.

http://www.petermain.com/

[cem]

Apart from Peter these two are my other favourites

http://www.turtlemoon.com/acord/acord.htm

http://www.xianleather.com/

[jbird]

I can agree with Holly he is fantastic with what he does, how ever I think some of the best are right here on this site Bob Park aka Hidepounder is amazing and one of the good ones I also think Rick Bean is one of the best.

Josh

[ClayB]

Go to the "teaser" page here on Leatherworker and you'll find links to a lot of awesome leatherworkers. Then you can decide for yourself where to get inspiration from.

For me, Peter Main is up there at the top, but he shares it with the likes of Robb Barr, Jan Schoonover, Silva Fox, Robert Beard, Jim Linnell and a few more. I think all thier links can be found on the teaser page.

[JohnBarton]

I'm sure I'll get jumped on for this, but in my opinion Peter Main is the best. That's not to say I don't think there are other phenomenal leatherworkers out there, but he's my favorite.

http://www.petermain.com/

I will second the vote for Peter Main as an inspiring leather artist. I am personally inspired by Chas Clements www.jacksandsaps.com - look around his site to find the cue cases and knife sheaths

From the main page I really am impressed by Karen Bentvelzen's work http://www.leatherart.nl/

Steve B - http://www.steveb.biz/

Anything Kevin King does........

So many folks really it's impossible for me to name them all - recently was blown away by Travis Stilson's sheridan carving on the Peter Main boot tops.

Anything Tina does - http://www.leather-fantasy.com/

I mean I could go on all night listing members here and their websites. There is so much awesomeness here. Send Brownie Points.

It's just hard to list everyone -

Two other guys I like are Arne Mason - http://www.arnemason.com

and James Acord - http://www.turtlemoon.com/acord/acord.htm

[Billy P]

I really love Peter's work too, however for the type things that I might try I like: Bruce Johnson, Bob Park, Clay Banyai, gtwister, and a lot more. These, and there are a lot more that I don't have down here are, while known bye a lot of people in the Leather community are not as world famous as Peter. Please don't get me wrong I love Peter's work and he has helped me allot with different things through critiques, and advice thru emails. He even sent me a copy of his newest book "The Main Technique of Coloring Leather" but his style is his own and few people can come close to doing it anywhere near as well as he does. The others do a more Traditional style that is what the greater part of us work at. As far as, me, I personally might have a chance at doing a basket or set stamp as well as Bruce, or might someday do some carving and finger cuts like Bob or Rick, possibly even do some carving and embossing like ClayB, but as for me I'm never gonna be able to come anywhere in the neighborhood of Peter. I'm not saying that he is any better than they are, just that his style is so different from everyone else. They all inspire me to do better than I am capable of. With all these being on the forum, anybody who wants to do better, whatever, with Leather don't have many excuses for not knowing how to do something, because they are all willing to share and teach and help anyway they can. This I know from experience. One thing they all agree on is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, AND MORE PRACTICE. Sorry to ramble so much sugar must be up. My penny for the day. wishing everyone a good day Billy P

[Billy P]

Sorry about getting back on here, but one last thing to say. There are a lot of people on this forum right now that as I understand the rules for the Al Stolhman Award, are/should be winners already. They give help, advice, even comfort and sometimes money to others. All just to help and teach a fellow leatherworker, so to all you good people, I SALUTE YOU[siz and once again many thanks Billy P

[badger]

Chuck Burrows' work is a continual inspiration to me.

I keep nagging him to make more instructional DVDs........

Cheers,

Karl

[rdb]

I'm with Billy! Everyone on this board, from newbie to old and gnarly saddlers, inspire me. I don't need to go outside this board to see some of the greatest stuff that I ever saw. And then, to boot, everyone helps you to do better yourself. Well, that's just too much for this old senile man to fathom. Who the hell gives away trade secrets in this day and age.... From inspiring each other, to taking the newbs by the hand, damn.

I continue to insist that this Forum is a once in a lifetime Historical event. To those of us old enough to know how hard it was to start decades ago, and to find material, and information, well, I for one, see just how radically important this place is.

So here's to everyone on this board, and a big Thank You from me, for all the inspiration, and reminding me that humans ain't so bad, after all.

Want to learn Bike Leather, just read Ian, David, and Roger, and ever other name in that section.

Want to see carving. I'll show you carving...sheesh... ClayB, Hidepounder, CitizenKate, Yaklady, and every other name in that section.

Want to pick up a few things about saddles...jumpin' sassafrass...every single name in that section is world class, or on his or her way.

Gunleather and sheaths...criminy! Who the hell knew the best of the best would show here.

I could go on and on with names, and there will be fourteen people after me naming their heros, and we still wouldn't be able to name them all.

As for all the names of people off this board who inspire, it's only a matter of time before they come here and join...just wait!!

Thanks Johanna!

[CowboyDon]

My inspiration is a man named Ben Moody - I have been very fortunate to have a small collection of his work. I look at it and

I wonder how did he do this or that and I am simply amazed. When I met him I yanked an old wallet out that I did when I was

18 and carried for 30 years and said "I do leather too" - he was the nicest guy, he looked at this thing and actually told me "you do

good work too" - what a nice thing to say when holding a wallet I carried forever, even though it was not carved very good.

I have 5-6 belts and a handful of other orignals and a very very nice carving of a lady holding flowers that Ben did, also numerous

doodle pages and midas pages.

Also I am inspired by our own TomSwede - The work he turns out is classic. I currently am patterning alot of my stuff

after items I see from TomSwede.

But like the others have said there all way way to many inspirations on this website. You can get to the point where you

see something and you dont even have to look at who made it and you will know, however there are also times they will

suprise you and step outside their comfort zone and still hit a home run.

[Grunt]

For all around jaw dropping leather work Peter Main is of course on my list.

As far as knife sheaths go Sandy Morrisey, Paul Long, Gary Graley, David Abramson(http://www.liftersleather.com), Dwayne Puckett (http://www.armoralleather.com), Dave Cole(who is a member here), and Kenny Rowe(http://www.rowesleather.com) do the kind of work I aspire to. Not only do all of these gentleman do fine sheath work they are generous with their knowledge as well.

As far as western/saddle work there are too many folks on this board to mention. Although when I think I would like to try builing a saddle I think of the saddle Troy West built for President Bush, as the gold standard.

I really want to take up boot making. So I would have to say that D.W. Frommer and Carl Chappel come to mind as inspiration.

[outcast]

Hape, and Xian

[CitizenKate]

Here are a couple that nobody has mentioned yet...

Leatherwood Designs (Rod Stanger in Australia)

Art-Goldberg (Michael & Vera Goldberg in Israel)

Kate

[hidepounder]

For me, the toolers that come to mind first are: Troy West, Bill Gardner, Chester Hape, Jim Jackson and Travis Stillson. I was also really impressed with a piece from 2shews(sp?) that Johanna posted. I love Peter Main's work, even though he's not a western tooler, because he is such a great designer and mechanic.

[JohnBarton]

<br />For me, the toolers that come to mind first are: Troy West, Bill Gardner, Chester Hape, Jim Jackson and Travis Stillson. I was also really impressed with a piece from 2shews(sp?) that Johanna posted. I love Peter Main's work, even though he's not a western tooler, because he is such a great designer and mechanic.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

That Billy2Shews stuff is amazing. The one with the Cameo in the center had me mesmerized for a long time.

[wildrose]

I love Rod Stanger too. I had the honor of taking some of his pieces in for competition one year (it was shipped to me), and I was stunned at the use of color as well as the design work itself. Simply gorgeous.

[awharness]

David Freedman's

www.freedmanharness.com

Martin York

www.yorksaddlery.com/default.asp

David LaSalle

http://www.lasalleharness.com/

They're all Harness makers, and some of the best at what they do!

-Andrew

[kevinhopkins]

Actually, I think Tony Laier, and Peter Main are right up there.... And I think that some of the Japanese carvers would probably be considered equally as talented. And Lionel Reed... He's done a number of car and pickup interiors in tooled leather that just blew me away...

Kevin

[Richard Hidalgo]

For me, the toolers that come to mind first are: Troy West, Bill Gardner, Chester Hape, Jim Jackson and Travis Stillson.

Bob,

Your name goes right in there with those you mentioned.

Regards,

Richard Hidalgo

[CitizenKate]

And I think that some of the Japanese carvers would probably be considered equally as talented. And Lionel Reed... He's done a number of car and pickup interiors in tooled leather that just blew me away...

Kevin

Are there any images of their work published anywhere on the web that you know of, Kevin?

Kate

[hidepounder]

name='hidepounder' date='Apr 8 2009, 02:40 PM' post='100081']

For me, the toolers that come to mind first are: Troy West, Bill Gardner, Chester Hape, Jim Jackson and Travis Stillson.

Bob,

Your name goes right in there with those you mentioned.

Regards,

Richard Hidalgo

Your very kind, Richard, thank you...but those guys cast pretty big shadows. When ever I get stuck designing a pattern or want to do something different, I go and look at what they've done.

[Kevin]

Just keep your eyes open. Everything inspires me, bad and good. I think one of the most incredible things I've ever seen, was a note book that came in the shop. The guy's father had been a designer at GM, and this note book had a carving of a '58 Buick on the front and a cutaway of a transmission on the back. Bruised perfectly, and the detail and precision of an engraving, it wasn't even signed. Unfortunatly, I didn't own a camera at the time.

Kevin

[bustedlifter]

Just keep your eyes open. Everything inspires me, bad and good.

I agree! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Saddle makers blow me away but so do a lot of other "makers". A lot of my inspiration comes from non-leather areas.