Chapman Design at Western Design Conference 2014

We enjoyed our participation in the Western Design Conference in Jackson, Wyoming this month. One of the best parts of the show is meeting the artists and learning about their work. I took the opportunity to interview just a few on the last day of the show, so I could share their stories here on our blog.

Chris Chapman of Chapman Design Inc., is a leather artist living and working in Colorado. She has been a furniture maker for over 20 years. Chris says “I’ve always been a maker of things. When I was 5 years old my Scottish Grandfather gave me an antique sewing machine. . . . I began making historical clothing at 19.” Chris has travelled to Scottland and seen the land her ancestors lived on and worked from. This inspires many of the pieces she creates.

The leather bonding Chris works into her furniture is a style unique to her design. It’s done by building up layers of leather, then the raised pieces are wrapped and bonded, creating a relief of the image she is portraying. These images incorporate the historical styles of Classic Western, Native American, and Black Forest into many of Chris’s pieces.

This Scottish Chest has 400-500 hours of Chapman’s time alone in it, and another 100 hours from local artisans in the woodworking, ironwork and silversmithing trades. Many of her tools are homemade to create the look she is after. She also uses traditional saddle stamping tools.

Chris is a certified Verterinary Technician and says anatomy and physiology studies have added to the detail seen in the animals she includes in her leather designs; horses, deer and birds are just a few.

Interviewing Chris about the work she does taught me that she is very committed to her art, her love of history and animals, and the freedom of working in her craft to make a living. It was an honor to meet her, and get a close up look at the beautiful work her hands create.

You can learn more about Chris Chapman and the work she does at her website: chapmandesigninc.com