Lisa Sorrell, cowboy boot maker

I made a tiny little Art. It’s 4×6″Title: “Next Go Round”

I’m very pleased with the toe on these.

Inlay always looks better when it’s stitched.

I wanted these shoes to be brown but they insisted upon being black, which is funny because usually when I try to design anything black it insists upon being brown. Sheesh. You bring something to life and the first thing it does is start talking back.

I got these boots on the last this morning. The lighter patches on the foot are the actual leather color; cowboy boots are wet-lasted and so the darker color simply indicates that the leather is still wet. I wet the leather thoroughly before putting the boots on the last because the leather in a cowboy boot heel is very thick, and also the foot part has no seams to make it somewhat shaped like the last before lasting. The shape of a cowboy boot foot depends entirely on how well it’s molded around the last and how that last is shaped.

This design and these colors are making me happy.I got the design from my mentor Jay Griffith, a grumpy old alcoholic who could frequently be heard screaming G*DAMMIT but who also had a talent for delicate and elegant florals. I try to always emulate him when I draw something new. (The drawing part, not the screaming or the vodka part.) I was incredibly lucky to have known and learned from him.

I’m working on my 2022 calendar and here’s a sneak peek at one of the months.

File this under “Terrifying Things Occasionally Spotted On Lisa’s Workbench.” I wasn’t happy with Ira and Charlie’s faces so I ripped them off and am trying again.