My story includes the blessing of being married 45 years to my college sweetheart and having three daughters, three sons-in-law, and seven grandchildren. I was a college professor for over thirty years. I have also worked as a cowboy camp cook, and portrayed Teddy Roosevelt in a one-man show I wrote based on his experiences in Oklahoma territory.

I find inspiration in the leather carving on antique saddles, in nature, and personal experience.  After considering the purpose of the finished work, I develop a design that is suited to the purpose, shape, and most importantly, feeling I want the piece to evoke.  Using the traditional tools of the leather worker I hand-tool my original designs to create a sense of flow, movement, and rhythm.

I began my journey as a leather artisan full-time in 2013. I use both American Bison Leather and traditional vegetable tanned leather to create my hand-crafted leather goods.

  While the Bison leather lends itself to creating durable, rugged, artisanal items, the veg-tanned leather is where I can express more of the artistic elements of my craft, using both traditional and creative new designs. 

I have recently begun to experiment with images from nature and trying to develop depth, and “lift”, and working with colored dyes to create more realistic images.  This has been a rewarding challenge as I work to create a fusion of styles that is uniquely mine. In 2023 I was awarded the Moore Artist Appreciation Award at the Bluff Park Art Show for my piece, “Maple Leaves”.