The Artist
The production of fine art carved leather pictorials partly originated from the fact that I was borne and raised in South Africa in close proximity to the world famous KRUGER National Park and later on to visit some of the private game reserves in the Sabi - Sand Reserve alongside Kruger Park.
From these experiences I developed a tremendous affinity for the outdoors especially the bushveldt of Southern Africa with all the wild game that abounds there and especially the endangered species.
Then, in 1981, during a visit to the South West region of the United States, I came into contact with the traditional leatherwork as used by the cowboys of North America.
Upon my return I managed to find an art and leather supplier who was an importer and promoter of leather making tools and instructional publications for the North American style of leatherwork.
First of all I taught myself utilizing the instruction manuals of most of the greatest leather carvers and artists such as Al Stohlman (who revolutionised the art form and made a massive contribution to its growth) and Christine Stanley who produced the first ever series of endangered wildlife species projects more than thirty years ago.
After I learnt the basics and had made quite a large number of leather articles I started to develop my own personal style of producing stampings and carvings. This newfound hobby of carving leather rapidly became a passionate obsession!
Eventually my attention was drawn to the fine art carved leather pictorials of wildlife in their natural habitat whereby the subjects and all their fine details are carved and modelled into the leather which is then stained and / or painted.
By the end of 2007 my leather carving, staining and painting became a full-time occupation.
In 2009 I became a member of the "International Internet Leather Crafters Guild" and the "Leather Crafters Guild". These Guilds have hundreds of members worldwide and there is an enormous wealth of knowledge which is shared by these members virtually on a daily basis.
I work in Johannesburg producing these art leather pictorials, mostly to order, one at a time. To relax, re-charge our batteries and to look for interesting subjects in their natural habitats my wife and I visit game parks such as Kruger National Park in South Africa or Chobe National Park in Botswana about three times a year.
The pictorials featured in this collection were mostly inspired from our own personal wildlife encounters and were carved with the greatest admiration for these often endangered animals. The great frustration at this time is the number of ideas for new pictorials waiting for the time to be produced.
My major objective is to produce a wide variety of collectable quality, fine art leather pictorials for the discerning admirer and as such my guarantee to you is that I will provide the highest degree of craftsmanship possible.
Alan Dent
Johannesburg
South Africa
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