Unique Leather Carving Style, What Is It Called?

[ozzie111]

I am working on developing some patterns for carving based on older designs.

I am trying to do something different than Tandy designs, or Sheridan style designs.

I like some of the older Mexican styles.

I have found a very unique style that I am sure I pilfered from this site on another.

I have attached an image of the style, and am curious what this might be called.

Does anyone know where I might find some more examples of this?

If this is your work, I apologize for not giving credit, but I can't remember where I found it.

Also, I would love to see some photos of older/historic designs.

Thanks in advance.

Oz

[HippieLee]

Sorry - I have no idea what it;s called - but I like it so I hope you find an answer. WOuld love to see more. It reminds me of the decorations on Day of the Dead/Sugar Skulls a little bit...

[shtoink]

I used Google image search with the terms "Mexican Folk Art" and found some stuff that had a similar feel. I'm not certain that this is the proper name for it, but maybe it will at least lead to the things you are looking for.

Edited June 17, 2014 by shtoink

[Hi Im Joe]

Sorry - I have no idea what it;s called - but I like it so I hope you find an answer. WOuld love to see more. It reminds me of the decorations on Day of the Dead/Sugar Skulls a little bit...

I thought people called these "candy skulls." Whatever they are called they are freakin awesome!

[HippieLee]

Probably both - yeah they are pretty cool - I love seeing them as tattoos too.

[Jimbob]

Candy sculls are a newer form of art, more pop art then folk art...( But borrowed from old Mexican art forms and periods...) .what you showed with the first picture is in my opinion an early California style ( before 1850 ) carving style....which had it roots from very early Spanish horse saddle ornamentation, the Spanish where very ornate in their leather work and by the time it came to North Mexico ( now California ) it had been scaled down du to lack of skills and time to a more simple carving style, yet still beautiful in its own way.

Later on, as we all know, different saddle shops founded certain carving styles and the Sheridian is the most known today!

Funny thing is, if you look real close to these carvings....you can almost see some European Rose maling styles in simple form...

Maybe due to the fact, European Imigrants brought these styles and used it later in leather work as art form...!

[Jimbob]

Candy sculls are a newer form of art, more pop art then folk art...( But borrowed from old Mexican art forms and periods...) .what you showed with the first picture is in my opinion an early California style ( before 1850 ) carving style....which had it roots from very early Spanish horse saddle ornamentation, the Spanish where very ornate in their leather work and by the time it came to North Mexico ( now California ) it had been scaled down du to lack of skills and time to a more simple carving style, yet still beautiful in its own way.

Later on, as we all know, different saddle shops founded certain carving styles and the Sheridian is the most known today!

Funny thing is, if you look real close to these carvings....you can almost see some European Rose maling styles in simple form...

Maybe due to the fact, European Imigrants brought these styles and used it later in leather work as art form...!

Let me add one more....if you look real close into early Navajo silver work, before 1870...you see the same dye stamping and ornamentation in silver....borrowed from the Navajos from the Spanish...lots of these design add ons are carried over into later Califorian leather carving and eventually into more modern stamping tools...

jimbob

[Bob Blea]

I really like that style too. To my eye it does look like it is based on traditional Mexican artforms, but I'm no expert and I could be wrong. I do like the different way they've handled the linework in the flowers. I would like to know more about this style too.

[ozzie111]

Does anyone have any example photos of old Spanish or Mexican leather carving that they could post.

All I could find on google is contemporary stuff.

Edited June 18, 2014 by ozzie111

[Erystawi]

Candy sculls are a newer form of art, more pop art then folk art...( But borrowed from old Mexican art forms and periods...) .what you showed with the first picture is in my opinion an early California style ( before 1850 ) carving style....which had it roots from very early Spanish horse saddle ornamentation, the Spanish where very ornate in their leather work and by the time it came to North Mexico ( now California ) it had been scaled down du to lack of skills and time to a more simple carving style, yet still beautiful in its own way.

Later on, as we all know, different saddle shops founded certain carving styles and the Sheridian is the most known today!

Funny thing is, if you look real close to these carvings....you can almost see some European Rose maling styles in simple form...

Maybe due to the fact, European Imigrants brought these styles and used it later in leather work as art form...!

I kind of recognised the pattern, as mentioned in similarity to European Rose maling! This beautiful tooling may not have anything to do with it, but it's striking how similar they look (just a random link of patterns attatched: http://www.bunad-magasinet.no/index.php?id=4492188#.U6H_l_l_uhg

Hope you find if the pattern has a style-name

Eva