Artists & Galleries / Leather Art
UPFRONT ASSEMBLING THE LOCAL AESTHETIC
Hide and Seek
LAGUNANS CARRIE RAE WOODBURN AND SUE WINNER PRESENT PIECES MADE FROM LEATHER AT SAWDUST ART FESTIVAL AND BEYOND .
By STEFANEE FREEDMAN
Ancient people used leather for everything from garments and accessories to canvases , musical instruments and household furnishings , and the creativity surrounding this medium has continued to inspire modern-day artists as well . Longtime Laguna residents Carrie Rae Woodburn and Sue Winner regularly show their wearable work at Sawdust Art Festival , with Woodburn producing one-of-a-kind garments and accessories made from animal hide that she sources from the Midwest and Winner turning vintage items into modern art . Read on to discover more about their leathercrafting .
Spirit & Sustainability
Woodburn ( above ) uses ethically sourced animal hides from the Midwest in her pieces .
A cow satchel created by Carrie Rae Woodburn
C arrie Rae Woodburn ’ s fascination with leather art started while spending time with her husband — Andrew Soliz , who owns Tatankamani Woodworks here in town — on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota . According to Woodburn , she was heavily influenced by her time there , and her husband taught her the ways of Native American leathermaking before she branched out further in the medium . “ I often hear the beat of the drum while remembering songs of ceremony in my heart as I work ,” Woodburn notes .
Her journey as an artist started when she moved from Los Angeles to Laguna in
1989 , purchasing a 100-year-old cottage in Wood ’ s Cove ; she now lives in Bluebird Canyon . “ Laguna Beach is an extraordinarily creative place ,” Woodburn says . “ I immediately felt different here . The distinction was a desire to create with my own two hands .”
In 2012 , she started experimenting with painting , though she had never taken a class for it . Later , she was drawn to the art of leatherwork , which has been her medium of choice for over 10 years , now created under the moniker C . Rae Leather Designs .
“ I do not pattern , as I enjoy the process of receiving inspiration from the material
FROM LEFT : CARRIE RAE WOODBURN ; COURTESY OF SAWDUST ART FESTIVAL
30 LAGUNABEACHMAGAZINE . COM