Of interest...

[paul]

Thanks guys. As I've said before, it shows the value of professional photography.
Well, and a good teacher.

[das]

Congratulations Paul

Did your Opanke hybrid win? That thing's wild.

Al

[paul]

Thanks Al.
No they weren't expected to do more than debut. I wanted to be there to hear feedback on the style, but that didn't work out. (Don't get me started.)
There were some major shortcomings in them which I can address on the next pair. But I've been wearing them and they feel as good as any I've made for myself.
Do you have any familiarity with the Opanka style?
Paul

[das]

Opanke constructon: no personal experience, just seen them in museums of Baltic/regional/ethnic stuff.

[paul]

Oh, I see Al, you're using an "e"! I've only seen it with an "a". So like everthing...vocabulary.

Besides some Japanese, with whom I am not familiar, there only a couple in the world, at least who publish publicly that is (is that redundant?), who work in this style with modern designs.

Murat Erbaz of Turkey, he uses an "a", on Facebook in his photos file, now his work with opanke hand stitch style makes me weak jn the knees. So inspiring.
Are you familiar with the Mexican bota ala Chelsea? I saw them in California's central coast on the Mexican farm workers back in the 70s. It looked like a moccasin made out of skirting leather. Handstited, which I liked. All veg and pretty stiff. I liked it as a style but not the design necessarily.

That was 40 years ago and finally I'm making them. Isn't that cool?

Paul

[brooklyn_edie]

Hey Paul! Congrats to you! I know I ain't surprised.

[lancepryor]

Paul:

Congratulations. Some well-deserved recognition of great work.

Lance

[martin]

Congratulations, Paul!

[martin]

Re. the Pisanello painting on the previous page: there is a high res picture at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Visio ... nt_Eustace.
Certainly looks like a heel, far ahead of its time!
Interestingly the article also says:

During the course of its history, The Vision of Saint Eustace has been extensively repainted and retouched. Originally, the panel was taller (it has been cut at the top).[9] The landscape has darkened because of the black underpaint and the use of malachite. The gold leaf in the tunic and harness has been regilded. Some animals, like the bear, have been entirely repainted.

Would be interesting to know whether the heel is original or not, and if not, what was done ...

Cheers,
Martin

[dmcharg]

Congratulations Paul!! All the Best Is there a picture around of the pair?
Cheers
Duncan

[paul]

Thank you Duncan!

Well, that's the thing. They said it was the body-of-work they were looking at. Which is very cool!
However, as I thought about that and felt complimented, I thought about what they were seeing.

Oh I'll take due credit and all that, but they were looking primarily at my photographer's work, posted to wherever we put them nowadays. I do post process pictures (not as often as some), but these folks were seeing the final product in lights! Skillful ones, I'm relieved to say.
Chris Marchetti of http://www.marchettiphoto.com/fine-art-photography/, and I have been working together photographing my works for 11 years now. I'm his oldest client (not in age, Good Heavens!).

Surely he's made more money off of all the others (he's won National awards). But we got it down! I'm in and out of his very cool studio in less than an hour, which makes about equal to the cost of materials. And I get to stage them! I had another very skilled artist friend of mine explain why arrangement/staging works for the eye. And in his photos I've seen shortcomings in my own work details that I hadn't yet noticed while handling them. And that is always a valuable lesson.

Years ago I attended a presentation from a group of producers of high-end Arts and Craft shows, where the fellow explained how highly juries value professional photographs in their jurying process.
Yes it adds to overhead, but finally the investment paid off.

Thanks again for the congrats,
Paul

[dw]

Paul,

Well I have to disagree with you to some extent....

First, as I said to you before, short of "photoshopping" the pictures, a camera cannot capture what is not there. So the boots in the photos must have been pretty good to begin with.

Second, without tooting my own horn too much and as a previous winner of this award, I personally photographed all the boots I submitted, just as I have photographed my own boots since day one. And when it comes to photography, I'm a rank amateur--relying more on auto mode than any manual setting or any special background or lighting.

I employed a professional only once, early on (didn't have a camera), and while the pics were good, for me at any rate it wasn't worth the expense. Kind of like these "glamour girl" photos that women get every now and again (my daughter and several of her friends did).

Hell, I always thought I was too pretty by nature to need one. And the same with my boots.

Coming back around, the photographer / photography isn't the reason you won the award. Guaranteed.

[das]

Sad news:

Dicken's Brothers curriers, Northampton, UK, last producer of black whole-grain veg-tanned waxed kip have lost their supplier and now only supply huge split cowhides with plenty of range marks and "armpit" portions included.

No more Kearsarge pegs: http://www.conwaydailysun.com/newsx/loc ... n-bartlett

[roy_najecki]

Agreed, sad to hear about Dickens Brothers. With Dennis Kellet closed, and now Dickens, what is a good source for black waxy uppers? Perhaps this is an opportunity to add a tannery to Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Trades?

The TV news report on the Kearsarge mill fire sounded like the owner, Paul Soares, was just about to sell the business.

[das]

Hey Roy,

Dickens still makes a black waxed-flesh uppers, veg-tanned, etc., but it's done on huge split cowhide sides, rather than whole-grain (smaller) E.I. Kips. While it's a step down, it's better than Chromexel "black huntsman"

The idea of an 18thc tannery has been floated off and on round CW for decades, but a few(?) years to fund, plan, and build; then tan-liquors in vats/pits wouldn't be up to strength for 3 years if done properly; then up to another 2 years before first "test" hides (usable?) were done, and we'd need to recruit an experienced tanner (preferably UK oak bark experience @ Croggan's/Baker's) to set it all up. Not a viable option for us--maybe the young uns?

Short of tanning, currying waxed calf however is not so daunting. We're currently hunting a source of base leather we can curry here. I'll keep you posted.

[roy_najecki]

Hi Al,

Rob Welch was at the house yesterday and we got talking about sources and how so many have dried up. I would think that with continued interest in bespoke shoemaking and leatherwork in general there would be enough demand to interest someone to make full grain (no split) bark tanned calfskin leather. Even here in urbanized Rhode Island there are more and more people raising their own cattle on a few acres of land. And at least one sawmill is nearby so the oak bark and raw hides should be available. I even thought of digging a few pits in my back woods and trying out the real old-fashioned (ie 18th. Century) method of tanning in a pit. But the neighbors are a bit too close and the town ordinances prohibit tanneries, but really how much could it smell?

[das]

Hummmm... I agree there's a need, and a small market for such leather; but why do folks think tanning (esp. pit-tanning) is as easy as planting some tomatoes in the back yard and growing you own? US oak bark was not astringient enough (too low in tannins) to do well, one of the reasons we switched to using hemlock bark, which only gave so-so results comparatively. Do oak bark pit tanneries smell? BROTHER! Do they. When I visited Croggan's in Cornwall you could smell it several miles outside the village--it smelled like beer vomit. If the smell of the piles of ground tan bark don't get ya, the environmentalists will for washing-off all the flesh scrapings, offal, hair, and de-liming residues in the requisite nearby stream or river.

By all means, give it a try--CW needs a source for around 4 dozen waxed calf skins a year; 15-20 insole shoulders, and maybe 24 sole bends

Just for fun:
Northampton County (Virginia) Order Book 10, 1674-1679, pp. 282-283
Inventory of estate of Henry Neale
29 lb of powdered beefe 025 lb tobo
One Thousand of six penny Nayles 030 “ “
An old broad Axe 012
Four pound of Tallow at 4 li p li 016
One Curriers Knife 040
Two fleshers & two barking Irons 072
Seven yearling Skins att 110
Five two year old Hides 200
Fifteen Inward Sole half of Splitt* Hides 300
Two halfe or Splitt Inward Sole Hides at 040
One two yeare old Hide att 040
Eighteen halfe Sole leather Hides 720
Two halfe Sole leather Hides more at 080
Twelve halfe middle Sole leather Hides att 360
One two yeare old Hide att 40
Two Sole leather Hides, A side & a peece ditto, one Side of Upper Leather, four calfe skins & two peeces of Hides, Three Inward Sole Hides & three Inw Side of Inward Sole leather all very Trumpery & Trash Leather 150
Taken July 6, 1678
Recorded: 28 August 1678


*--"Split(t)" in this case refers to half hides, or sides--not split in thickness.

[roy_najecki]

Al,

Have you looked into leather from OrionCalf.com ? Their website and the advert I'm looking at says they offer full grain French calf.

Roy

[das]

Roy,

From what I could see their skins are way too thin for 18thc "waxed calf", and nothing says 100% veg-tanned. Looks like great leather otherwise.

Thanks,
Al

[dw]

Where is Orioncalf located? Are they a tanner or just a finder? The "vocalou" is an Annonay product, isn't it?

[das]

DW,

Their website suggested the tannery was in France.

[dw]

DW,

Their website suggested the tannery was in France.

Thanks. I looked all over the website...and they had an 800 number. ??! Another one of those "old man" deals.

[sigh]

[brooklyn_edie]

Leather's from France. Office in Connecticut. I'll try to visit next time I drive that way.

[dw]

Leather's from France. Office in Connecticut. I'll try to visit next time I drive that way.

Nice! Thanks.

Wonder what they have in stock...if anything?

[paul]

I was recently told by Peter at Waterhouse, that they will no longer be doing the milled veg liner. Any suggestions?