One day, while browsing through Flickr, I came across some gorgeous bicycle seats. The designer, Kara Ginther, carves each unique seat and believes that it’s important to maintain the hand of the artist in any design work. The end result is an amazing piece of functional art.
Kara came across her craft while studying textile design at the University of Wisconsin.
“My work table was piled high with my semester supplies, lino cutters and leather scraps among them, and as I sat pondering the work ahead of me, I absentmindedly began scratching some leather with the nearest tool. I started carving everything I could get my hands on, ruining several bags and belts in the meantime. However, every day I learned a little more about what leather carves best, what tools to use, how to test for color contrasts and most importantly, how to make this process my own.”
Her inspiration, like ours, stem from all things old.
“I’m truly obsessed with objects in general, especially the really old ones. I’ve started a modest collection of antique leather luggage, handbags, and other travel accessories in hopes of being able to give new life to each piece. I love how antiques are covered in scrapes and scratches that serve to tell their history.”
Her canvas starts off with a very luxurious British made Brook’s leather saddle.
“I’ve worked solely on Brooks saddles so far and have fallen in love with every step of the process.”
The tedious carving process can take as little as 2 hours to 2 weeks for each design.
“I’ll never forget how nervous I was to make that first cut into the gorgeous seat. Carving leather leaves little room for error; not only can you ruin the design, but with one slip of the blade you can render an object useless!”
“With every saddle completed, I can’t wait to see what happens to my bike saddles after decades of riding. Hopefully they will have made their way into some musty attic, only to be rediscovered by someone who loves deciphering the story of an object as much as I do.”
Kara’s custom saddle work start at $99 for simple designs and can range up to $345 for more elaborate pieces. Contact Kara for more information.
Kara Ginther Leather
422 N. Ingersoll Street
Madison, WI 53703
(715) 896-4577
www.karaginther.com
)))
Talk about a piece of art, these are amazing. I would not want to sit on them.