Chris Atkins is a noted folk artist with an exhibit each year at the Texas Folk Life Art Festival in San Antonio. The images below were made when he visited my ranch for a few days in the summer of 2007. He brought just a few of his materials and made all the items with portable leather tools. He does very elaborate work at his shop in Abilene, Texas. More images of his detailed bead and leather work will be posted by the end of February, 2008.
Chris sits in the backyard of my town place in Sanderson, Texas, and works on the medicine bag. He specializes in 1820-1850 Native American and Frontiersman leather crafts. He has made leather pants and shirts that are detailed beyond description.
Deer antler and bones are important to his creations. All work is done by hand with no machining for the stitching. Each hole is punched into the leather by these awls and stitched with sinew.
After seeing his more elaborate works, I would call this one of his more simple medicine bag creations. It was totally made from a square of leather and sinew, in about an hour.
Detailed bead work added to a relatively simple dream catcher to add a touch of class.
The sinew holds a dove feather in place. You can also see the intricate lacing and knotting of the sinew in its body. This must have been the technique the Native Americans used to create fish nets.
Steady hands and patience are a must to produce such skillful art.Maybe this trait was acquired on his trip to Alaska, working on a fishing rig, mending nets in which to catch Eskimo women.
This affordable handcrafted artwork adds a touch of class to any decor. We are in the process of creating a catalog and mail order service. Additional images and pricing will be added by the end of February. Any inquires can be sent to me at my home page email address.
This website is maintained by me, TR, and is intended to impress or offend no one. Your comments and suggestions are welcomed by email and kept private. Thanks for viewing.
