Leather carving is an very old tradition, there are artifacts and proof that in early Egypt times craftsman carved ( scratched and embossed ) designs and pictures into tanned hides....later this envolved into leather tooling. Tooling is pressing or hammering a wood or metal stamp into a damp piece of vegetable tanned leather to make a lasting impression when dry!! Medievia Bible covers are a proof of that...As a superior art form leather carving came about around the late 17th century, which was done and still is done with a sharp knife. These days we use a so called swivel knife with a sharp short blade....it swivels while you apply pressure and carve a line along the design. After this line is cut tools called beveler are used to press down the matrial near the cut.....so the impression of a raised or lowered image apears...

This makes it look 3-D and gives it its beauty and style.

In the very early 18 hundreds, out West...learned from the spanish vaqueros...saddles and holsters, almost everything was carved and decorated with tooling!!

The modern Western floral style was born!!! I do floral, picture and border stamping which I enjoy very much....it is like painting a picture, just much more alive!!

And its leather a wonderful organic material......