It appears I’ll get to take these with me on the Country Family Reunion cruise next week. I didn’t invent the cowboy boot shoe–as far as I know the credit for that would go to Olsen Stelzer–and it appears I’m the only one interested in bringing them back. Having said that, I’m still figuring them out, but they fit me and that’s encouraging! I hope I’ll have time to come in and finish them tomorrow.
I’m starting the portrait panels of the Satan is Real/Louvin Brothers boots that I’ll raffle. This large, vaguely Ira-and-Charlie-shaped hole is how it begins.
I’m making progress on the “Satan is Real” boot tops. Don’t worry–leather art is always transformed by stitching so it will look better soon.
I spent a Sunday afternoon with Satan.
I’m officially starting the “Satan is Real” Louvin Brothers boots that I will raffle. This has given me a reason to pull out my very favorite pattern piece of all time: I present to you.. the pattern for the devil’s hair.
“Wiping in the toe” of a boot in construction is pulling the leather around and under the toe in a way that smoothly incorporates all of the excess leather.
I’m working on a new pair of boots and I got them on the last this afternoon.
IT’S TIME FOR THE BIG REVEAL!
Ira and Charlie Louvin portrait in leather, 8×10″
I had never done a portrait before but I realized that perhaps I’d succeeded when I began feeling as if my work was STARING AT ME.
1.) As an artist of commissioned work I usually only get to do what the client wants.
2.) Letters are hard.
3.) I got to do whatever I wanted on this piece and the first thing I did was spontaneously add lettering in a super-complicated font that required me to create two letters and an &.
And in other news, I will definitely be creating a raffle very soon for a pair of Louvin Brothers/Satan is Real boots, because I know now that I can do an Ira and Charlie portrait.
I hate practicing and usually jump right into whatever I’m doing, but in this case I thought a practice piece might be prudent. These are process pictures for the Louvin Brothers portrait and they’re looking pretty good so far, but the real test will be stitching them. The stitching will either take it over the top or ruin it.
Here I’m starting to layer in the leather pieces
Still layering in pieces
I squealed when I turned it over and saw this!
OK, now it’s really looking good, and I’m nervous about stitching it.
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Lisa Sorrell, cowboy boot maker 