What is the difference between the different carving styles?

[Rannoch]

What are the differences between carving styles like Sheridan, Tandy, Northwest, etc.?  It seems like floral leather carving originated in the 1940's, but that's probably wrong.  

I searched the archive but didn't find anything.  

Thanks for your help.

[billybopp]

On 4/9/2021 at 3:13 PM, Rannoch said:

What are the differences between carving styles like Sheridan, Tandy, Northwest, etc.?  It seems like floral leather carving originated in the 1940's, but that's probably wrong.  

I searched the archive but didn't find anything.  

Thanks for your help.

Floral carving has been around for centuries.  The differences are in how things are laid out, to some extent size, and a number of other factors.  Some of it is individual style, some artists combine styles making it all the harder to pigeonhole things.  So why pigeonhole them at all!   Just as with paintings, styles and such can be hard to distinguish to the untrained eye but eventually it all starts to make sense.

This may help - http://toolingtheus.com/

-Bill

[chuck123wapati]

The different styles were/are developed by the different artists just like painting, then as they become popular their style gets copied. A lot of it is the business side too on the more modern styles at least  and probably why you thought it started in the 40s, Stohlman for example started about that time and as he got better he started to produce tools and books and made it a business which promoted his style further. It makes it troublesome to some degree as the tools we can buy were created to do a certain style well but we as artists/humans  also want to develop our own style as we get better so we either have to make do, learn to use them differently  or develop tools we need ourselves. At least that's my take on it.

Leather carving IMO is influenced by centuries old traditional methods, folk art/ untrained leather workers embellishing personal items, professional artists/people making a living at it and every thing in between.

[YinTx]

If you are really interested in the different styles, Jim Linnell has several courses that highlight the differences in Sheridan, Northwest, Texas, California, etc.  I highly recommend them.

YinTx

[billybopp]

11 hours ago, YinTx said:

If you are really interested in the different styles, Jim Linnell has several courses that highlight the differences in Sheridan, Northwest, Texas, California, etc.  I highly recommend them.

YinTx

Hmmm.  I wasn't aware of this!   Might be fascinating to check that out.

Thanks.

- Bill

[Rannoch]

Thanks for the replies.  That clears things up a bit.  I think I'm beginning to see the subtle differences between the dominant styles.  Just looking at Jim Linnell's course page where the different styles are shown side by side makes it easy to see the differences.  I used to go to LA for business and whenever I had a few hours of spare time I would visit the Gene Autry Museum of Western Art to look at the leather work up close.  It seems significantly different from contemporary styles.  It seems like floral carving came from Mexico like so much of cowboy culture.  The cuts and beveling aren't as deep as today.  I have some pieces that were carved by a great uncle in Oregon about 80 years ago, and they are not cut deep and hardly beveled at all.

[oltoot]

If you can get a hold of some saddle catalogues from the teens and twenties, that might help some.

[Rannoch]

On 4/12/2021 at 7:37 AM, oltoot said:

If you can get a hold of some saddle catalogues from the teens and twenties, that might help some.

That's a great suggestion.  Thanks!