Working with leather centers me.  It’s like meditation … peaceful … I lose myself in the process of creating.

There is something primal about working with leather. It’s difficult to put into words, but it sort of takes me back to humanity’s roots, a place we all have in common. Heck, for thousands of years, it was used in nearly every facet of daily life.

Leather is an imperfect canvas. Like any living, it has flaws. There are range marks, brands, soft spots, hard spots, insect bites and scars. It’s about knowing the project I’m working on, choosing the right piece of leather and working with its imperfections … bringing out its hidden beauty.

I just love the smell of leather. If you’ve ever been walking through the mall and passed by a leather retailer you know what I mean. That aroma just draws me in … I can’t seem to resist it.

I get a lot of satisfaction taking a tanned hide of leather with a concept forming somewhere inside me and fashioning into something beautiful that serves as a source of satisfaction, pride, and appreciation for someone else.

There is no greater reward for me as a leather craftsman than to know that the person who commissioned the work loves it.

Ray

Leather Craftsman, Mystic Leather