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"Dedicated to Furthering the Understanding of Mankind's Creative Achievements in the Leather Arts." |
It's difficult to imagine a better place other than Cowtown to be home
to one of the greatest leathercraft exhibits. Fort Worth just seems
like a natural fit.
Tandy Leather Factory is proud to make available to the public, the
Stohlman Leather Museum & Gallery. It is the area's only museum
with such an extensive collection of hand-tooled leather articles. The
collection's most prized leather pieces on display include four
saddles, a hand-tooled golf bag, guitar case and "The Brush Popper"
leather picture. This is just a sampling of the beautiful leather
pieces hand-crafted by Al Stohlman, who is known for his amazing
carvings world wide.
"If you have any interest in leather art,
this is a must see."
Al Stohlman, who passed away in 1998, was a master craftsman, gifted
artist and pioneer in leathercrafting techniques. His work has
influenced hundreds of thousands of leathercrafters worldwide, through
the media of tool designs, patterns, instruction books and personal
demonstrations.
He left behind a long legacy of leathercraft books and leathercarving
patterns, many of which have been published by Tandy Leather in its
catalogs and instruction books. Many of the original leather pieces
used to illustrate his published books are on display, some dating back
to the early 50s.
His love for leather was exemplified by a willingness to give freely of
his knowledge, to build leathercraft as an art form, as well as a
craft, and to encourage others by his personal example. Although he is
no longer with us today, his work and character will remain with us
forever.
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"Come and relive the dream of Al Stohlman and the Old West." |
The museum is located at:
3847 E. Loop 820 South
Fort Worth, Texas
inside the
Tandy Leather Factory store.
Please call:
(817) 496-4874 or
(800) 433-3201 for hours. Admission to this impressive leathercraft collection is free.
Requests for group tours welcome museum Monday thru Saturday |
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During the 1920s, a young Al Stohlman dreamed of some day illustrating
the popular Western stories of Zane Grey and Bret Harte. Scenes of
cattle drives, wranglers, chuck wagons and horses filled his
imagination and his sketch pad. As a youngster, Al's passion was
utilizing his spare time to sketch the animals that lived in the
forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Al Stohlman had his first experience with leatherwork in 1942 while
stationed in New Guinea while serving for the U.S. Army. It was then
that he toyed with a GI issue leather belt to learn about the unique
qualities of leather, using only a pocket knife and some filed nails.
It wasn't long before Al discovered the need for certain tools and the
importance of using a mallet or striking stick to achieve greater depth
and detail to his projects. Four years later, back home in California,
he learned to use stamping tools.
By 1952 he was earning national attention through work for the Craftool
Company. Craftool, a west coast company, was purchased by Tandy Leather
years later. Many of the company's tools were developed by Stohlman.
Later, as a freelance teacher/artist he traveled the country attending
craft shows and guild meetings, teaching and sharing his techniques.
In 1962 one of his most precious dreams came true- the opportunity to
share his 20 years of knowledge with students of all ages and
backgrounds, in the convenience of their own homes, through the mail.
Sponsored by Tandy Leather, the Al Stohlman Home Study Course was
recognized as one of the most comprehensive guides to basic
leathercrafters available anywhere. Through this correspondence course
and dozens of books, hundreds of thousands of people have been taught
leathercraft. The original finished projects used for this successful
Home Study Course are on display.
With over 50 years of experience in the leather and saddlemaking field,
Al Stohlman gained tremendous pleasure of sharing his knowledge with
all who cared to learn. He believed the best way to accomplish this was
through instruction books. His dream was to eventually see his patterns
and books published into encyclopedia form to preserve this valuable
craft knowledge for future generations. His 'one-of-a-kind' books
continue to be top sellers in our stores.
Ann Stohlman is quite a remarkable craftswoman in her own
right. But then, she only had the world's best leathercraftsman for a
teacher. During their time together Ann became an accomplished
saddlemaker, leather carver and buckstitcher as well as a frequent
contributor to various leathercraft magazines. Ann passed away in 2004. |
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Al Stohlman once wrote, "I have often been asked what it takes to
create a leather picture. More than anything else, it takes ideas. And
being a realist, I feel a picture or scene must be authentic in detail,
so it takes time. Lots of time" |
The largest hand-tooled picture on exhibit is "The Brush Popper", pictured below. Measuring 43" x 27",
it also includes a beautiful finely tooled leather frame. It is a
three-dimensional piece that incorporates the use of embossing plugs, a
most unique style. This beautiful piece of art is probably one of Al's
most ambitious projects. The carving alone took over two months. We are
pleased that once again, this magnificent piece of art is available for
the world to view and appreciate.
The museum also has on display leather art pieces by many of the past
Al Stohlman Achievement Award winners. The Al Stohlman Achievement
Award is given annually to a leathercrafter who has demonstrated
continued dedication to the craft, following the examples set by Al
Stohlman. Recipients of the medal are recognized on the basis of their
overall achievements in the craft.
Other artists' work on exhibit include Rob Barr, Kathleen Bond,
Paul Burnett, Silva Fox, Ken Griffin, Tim Grothen, George Hurst, Kat
Kuszak, Tony Laier, Jim Linnell, Peter Main, Ben Moody, Gene Nolan, Jan
Schoonover, Al Shelton and Christine Stanley.
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