If you would like to know what dragon eyes, writing books and leather have in common, then please join me in getting to know Charles Smith. Charles is an author and leather artist who has been living in the Baldwin area since 1990.  I met him one evening at his home in the woods of Western Wisconsin.

Jenelle:  What is the first piece that you remember making out of leather?

Charles:  A book binding.  I had written a novel, titled Dryad, for my kids.  My daughter, Soleil, who is now 16 years old, said she would like it in book form so I printed it out and stitched it together.  Then I bought some leather and made a binding out of it.  Soleil thought it was so cool, she helped me sign up to take some classes and learn more about working with leather.  I got started slowly and enjoyed it very much.  Every month I would buy a new tool and learn how to do something different.  That’s how I got started.

What pieces do you enjoy making the most?

I guess the pieces that I design completely.  I enjoy making the ones that I tool, where you put a design into the leather and create a 3-dimensional picture.  I like it when I can tool something and include that design into a larger piece, like a bag or a briefcase so they are a part of a whole concept.   I also like the final touches, adding hardware so it looks older and creates its own feel.

Has any particular leather artists influenced you a lot?

I’ve been taught by different people but there’s no one in particular that has really jumped out at me.  I just look at every leather artist I see and try to understand and get a feel for their techniques.  There are some truly great artists out there and they all have their own techniques and styles.   I really like the western styles that have been popular for 40, 50, 100 years but I also like to look out there and do something in a science fiction style or mix science fiction with the western style so it’s something that most people aren’t used to seeing.

Do you think of yourself in general as a messy or organized person?

Hum,  a little of both.  At the beginning of a project, I have to have things somewhat organized so I know where to find the different tools but once I get going on a project things will just pile up and then I have to stop, re-organize everything and get started again.

Is there any one piece that you’ve made that you really cherish?

I made a dragon bag that is one of my favorites right now.  It has dragon eyes looking out of a portal on both sides of the bag.  It has steam punk style where you have gears and flowers.  Then I used rivets around a portal and created a Victorian pattern, like a wall paper.  I hand stitched the whole thing, using pig skin on the inside with cow on the outside.  I like it because it feels good.  It hangs at the right height from the shoulder and I like the look of it.  So fortunately, I haven’t been able to sell it yet!

Do you see any of your work taking new directions?

I want to do more bag type pieces.  I like doing things that are functional and yet really jump out at you.  I’d like to do more murals and I would like to do a lot of my original art work and maybe mix it in with stencils so that I can create scenes on bags.  Designing is half the work on a piece and I really enjoy that process.

Charles Smith will be joining the Creative Drive for the first time in 2012 and will be at the Silver Bison Farm location.  He sometimes makes pieces collaboratively with his daughter, Soleil.  They have a stamp for their pieces with the name Cuir de Sol, leather of the sun.