Contact Info
Condensed Biography Visual and Performance Arts have been my livelihood and passion from when I was just a young lad. I was born and raised in South Africa and moved to the United States with my folks in 1995, which is where my art really took off. Having finished college with a Master of Music in Composition degree in 2002, I was now ready to go be an irresponsible musician. I traveled throughout the U.S. looking for some interesting opportunities, which took me to California, Texas, Maryland, eventually Washington D.C., where I held a marketing job for about a year. I then moved to Crookston, MN (tiny little town up north), where I took some time off of responsibility again, and started a graphic design and music recording business, while playing piano whenever given the opportunity. I am currently working as a web developer, graphic designer and Flash developer in Minneapolis, MN. Why I like my hobbies Leatherworking is a fairly recent hobby, although I've been a wood worker all my life. Working with my hands is something I enjoy greatly, and living in a highrise (with a great view ;-), I had to give up woodworking and take up something less messy. Leatherworking is far from a substitute however. It has opened up a lot of creative doors and new ways of looking at art. It can be so simple and functional, and yet insanely intricate, offering so much to the artistan and art lovers. This site shows some recent examples of my work. Click on the images to enlarge them for more detail. Thank you for visiting! - Stephan |
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Purse (for mom) Materials: Project Time:
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HGTV Project (set of 4 chairs) Materials: Project Time: HGTV filmed the making of this chair for a show called That's Clever. The show will be aired in the spring of 2008. I don't have the exact show date yet, but will update this page when I do. |
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Project 1 - Chair Insert Materials: Project Time: The pattern is a custom rampant gryphon, inspired by the age-old heraldic crests. The shield is smaller than is normally expected and this was to show off the huge animal and the sheer power it possesses. The mantling around the shield is inspired by the traditional Irish/English mantling. After tooling was complete, the piece was stained using an antique mahogany stain to emphasize the tooling, rubbed down front and back, and sealed with 2 coats of leather lacquer, and a satin-sheen protectant for the back. The chair bases are made of bent wood and are very sturdy and dense. Upholstery nails will not penetrate this wood easily, so I predrilled each one using a small drill bit on a high-speed drill. The chair pictured is one of a set of two, each a mirror image
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Project 1 - Chair Insert (closeup) |
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Project 2 - Messenger Bag Materials: Project Time: The pattern is a custom floral pattern derived from one of Al Stohlman's smaller projects. The bags are manufactured completely by hand. Each stitch-hole is punched, every pattern hand-tooled, hang stained, etc. After tooling was complete, the bag was stained using an antique tan stain to emphasize the tooling, rubbed down front and back, and sealed with 2 coats of satin-sheen protectant, and then rubbed down with a wax-based waterproofer. (these should last a lifetime) |
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Project 3 - Bunny Purses Materials: Project Time: A nightmare for any Peta supporter, these bags are constructed using three different types of hides. The rabbit fur gives this custom design a sense of softness, but yet a fun, carefree shape. All the pieces are cut, dyed, and stitch-hole punched before assembly. The rabbit fur glued onto a piece of leather slightly larger than the insert area. Both pieces are then hand-stitched into place. The lining is then glued to the inside of the bag, and hand-stitched together. The straps (not pictured), are made with 2 pieces of cowhide strap, which are sewn onto a piece of braided suede. The suede prevents the shoulder strap from sliding off of your shoulder. |
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Project 4 - Square Art Materials: Project Time: These were just fun tooling projects to experiment with really deep relief tooling. The relief on these are much deeper than the normal 7-8 oz. leather due to the sheer thickness of the hide. This however also makes the tooling a lot more difficult due to the water retention during tooling (getting the amount of moisture just right). These blocks are meant to hang on a wall as framed art. Framing these with a wide black suede mat, inside of a natural or dark wood frame will be ideal. |
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Project 4 - Wrist/Arm Bands Materials: These are fairly easy to make, however still fairly time-consuming. Since these are made from a natural vegetable tan, they have to be: - stamped (custom lettering or patterns) These are great fun for those who can't afford the larger, more intricate items, and for those who don't have space but want something to take home from a craft show. |
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My Space - Tooling Area This is where I do all of the tooling of projects. (right next to my couch and computer). I use a butcher's block with a piece of marble on top, and a rubber mallet. This dampens the tooling quite a bit so I can be respectful of my neighbors. The chair matches the tooling height perfectly, so there's very little back strain. |
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My Space - Cutting Area This is where I do all the cutting and shaping of the leather. The glass coffee table is also a great place to dye leather since it doesn't take stains. |
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My Space - Leather Stash A pile of different hides so I can "hobby" whenever I want ;-) |
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| Minneapolis, MN 55418 | leather@stephanrocks.com | |