Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine February 2017 Vol 2 Issue 1

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine

wife Debbie and has a place on the wall in their home. As he puts down the completed piece, he shows me one of the feathers up close. So many fine details

The Art of Working with Leather

As Randy Cornelius and I begin to talk about his passion for leather craft, my eyes couldn’t help but wonder around his shop as I listened to his journey.

from the center vain to the curled edges and spot on paint job, these feathers are one of a kind. Not only do they look great in the leather pictures, they would look fantastic in the side of a straw or felt hat too! Picking up his latest leather picture project, this one

The first thing I see is his work bench where hun- dreds of tools all have their place and his leather work is mastered. As he carves and shapes the leather, a tech light illuminates his work for perfec- tion of each hand stroke. Everything is organized and within reach. I continue scanning the shop and focus on another bench full of larger tools. There is leather every- where, carved earrings and necklaces, tooled can- teens, chinks, chaps, and saddle trees waiting for leather. As I focus back on Randy, my eyes stop on a framed picture of a beautiful Indian village and feather that is sporting a bald eagle, red string and beads. “This is an example of the leather pictures I have been working on.” Oh my goodness the feather and eagle are leather too! This piece is a favorite of his

really caught my eye. It is my per- sonal favorite and its not even com- pleted yet. This work of art is a single piece of flat leather carved with a White Buffa- lo, village and In- dian head behind. This buffalo looks

like he’s running straight towards me. You can see and feel the buffa- lo’s coat. I am very anxious to see this project complete.

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