DON EARL
Leather Artisan
Don Earl – Leather Artisan
After a career as a mechanical engineer, I entered a very different chapter in my life. I had been comfortable using computer software to create digital models and to cut metal shapes for construction, and had to completely retool my process.
Leather work has become the new chapter in my life; I now design on paper, cut paper templates, and use those templates to cut out leather pieces by hand, one by one.
The making of a fine leather bag is labor intensive and viseral. Each step requires an unforgiving level of control. A simple misstep or the slip of a knife can mean a significant set back or a complete restart of the entire project.
My goal is to produce leather products that appear to have been made by angels. But because I am only human, I rarely achieve that ideal. Sometimes, however, I get close enough to satisfy my drive for perfection.
I have personally designed and crafted each item in my display at the Gallery. I strive to make beautiful and wonderfully functional pieces of art that can be enjoyed for decades and passed from generation to generation.
Look closely at the workmanship evident in each article, resulting from hours of careful consideration and by using turn-of-the-century tools. The piece you choose is the result of hands-on leather work, which is a disappearing art in this age of mass production and imported knock-offs.
Your piece becomes a reflection of you as the leather responds to your touch, or "seasons" over time, developing a patina that is as unique as you.
Many blessings,
Don Earl
Leather Artisan
(805) 701-3990 Call
