Al and Ann Stohlman

Young Al Stohlman working at his bench

Al Stohlman (August 15, 1919 – March 6, 1998) was a pioneer in leathercraft and continues to influence hundreds of thousands of leathercrafters worldwide. He and his wife Ann (June 30, 1924 – June 10, 2004) produced hundreds of magazine articles, doodle pages and other valuable tools still used in the leathercraft industry. A museum featuring much of his life's work is part of a collection of leather art located in the lobby of the Tandy Leather Factory Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.[1][2]

Al Stohlman

Born in Olive, California, young Al Stohlman loved to draw and spent his spare time sketching animals of the Pacific Northwest. He hoped to one day be an illustrator in western books and magazines by authors like Zane Grey and Bret Harte.[1] In 1939, Stohlman was called to serve in 46th Engineer Regiment of the Army during World War II. There, he used his artistic interest to create sketches of his activities in the South Pacific. While serving in New Guinea, he saw natives creating decorative designs in leather and became curious about exploring the art. He and a few friends used pocket knives to carve the leather and created rudimentary tools out of nails shaped into various forms.[3] They also used India Ink to detail their work.[4]

After 40 months serving in the Army, Stohlman was discharged and returned to civilian life. He moved to Laguna Canyon where he settled in a shack that he made from an abandoned chicken coop. There he took care of horses and began earning income through his amateur leatherwork when he started purchasing plain saddles and decorating them to be sold at auction for a profit. He often got inspiration for his designs by attending rodeos and sketching other designers’ western art work.[4]

His leather carving and stamping skills got him a job working for the SchaffLeather Company with Guy Lauderbach. Stohlman initially learned to make functional leather items beginning with suitcases and other simple projects until Lauderbach eventually taught him how to build and design saddles.[5] In 1952, Stohlman created a leather carving of a palomino wearing an ornate wooden saddle that attracted the attention of Dick McGahen, owner of the Craftool Company. McGahan hired Stohlman to design leatherworking tools and to write publications, earning national attention with his first book, “How To Carve Leather”.[4] Working for Craftool Co. brought Stohlman to Los Angeles where he lived for 2 years before becoming a freelance artist and moving to a private ranch Hemet, California.[6]

In 1963, Al met and shortly married Ann McDonald. The Stohlmans moved to Cache Creek, British Columbia in 1969, where they spent the next 29 years creating the bulk of their life’s work. The Stohlmans went on to publish a substantial catalog of texts about the fundamentals of leathercraft.[7]

When asked what goes into making a leather picture, Stohlman said, "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."[1]

The Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft is awarded annually to an artist whose accomplishments in leatherwork and dedication to the promotion of the craft follow the example set by Stohlman. Recipients of the medal are recognized on the basis of their overall achievements in leathercraft.[8]

Al and Ann Stohlman on their farm in Cache Creek, Ontario

Ann Stohlman

Ann Lloyd (June 30, 1924 - June 10, 2004) was born in Idaho, but grew up in north-eastern Oregon and north-eastern California. She was raised by her father, Jack Lloyd, and grew up in logging camps where he worked. There, she learned about living in nature, how to fish, the use of fire arms, and how to hunt.[7]

In the Spring of 1963, Ann was on a fishing trip at Big Creek Lodge when she attended a leatherworking demonstration Al Stohlman was performing at the property. The two corresponded by mail and were married on August 20, 1963 in Tijuana, Mexico.[7] Ann began learning the art of leatherwork by assisting her husband.[4] Within 3 years, she had learned the trade and was making saddles herself. Ann became quite an accomplished leatherworker, collaborating on many of his books and having her work featured in a number of publications.[1] In 1969, The Stohlmans moved from their property in Hemet, California to a 200-acre ranch in Cache Creek, British Columbia. Just as Al had taught Ann leathercraft, she taught him how to hunt and live off of the land, as she had in her youth.[7]

Bibliography

Video

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Stohlman Museum". Tandy Leather Factory. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Tandy Leather Museum and Gallery". Fort Worth Visitors & Convention Bureau. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  3. ↑ "IILG Memorial". International Internet Leathercrafters Guild. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hurst, George. "A Visit with Al & Ann Stohlman". YouTube. Tandy Leather. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Stohlman, Al & Ann (1 September 1993). The Stohlman Encyclopedia of Saddle Making, Vol. 1. Tandy Leather Co. p. 9. ISBN 1892214970.
  6. ↑ Stohlman, Al (1952). "Al Stohlman". The Leathercraft. The Leathercraft Guild. 2 (10): 1.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Reis, Bill. "Our First Lady of Leathercraft: Ann Stohlman". The Leather Crafters Journal.
  8. ↑ "Local Leathercraft Artist and Small Business Owner Wins Worldwide Recognized Al Stohlman Award". Northridge-Chatsworth Patch. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
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