The Chatham Arts Council is investing in artists through our Meet This Artist (MTA) series, introducing you to 12 Chatham County artists each year in a big way. The fine folks at Hobbs Architects in downtown Pittsboro are powering our Meet This Artist series this year. Architecture is art, and the Hobbs crew values art in our community. So, take a look. Meet your very inspiring neighbors.
Ric Harber, an accomplished leatherworker based in North Carolina, transforms everyday items into works of art through his passion for crafting leather. Now retired, he devotes his time to creating everything from custom notebooks to intricate wall hangings, blending practicality with creativity. Whether you’re looking for a unique gift or a handmade piece with a personal touch, Ric’s work showcases the beauty and versatility of leather. Explore his creations at ricsleather.com and learn more about his journey and craft in this interview.
When did you begin working with leather?
I started doing leather work when I was down in Lubbock, Texas, teaching at Texas Tech University. At the time, there wasn’t a lot to do there, so I wandered into the Tandy Leather shop, walked out with a starter kit and decided, “oh, I kind of like this!” Then it turned into a hobby, and then the hobby turned into an obsession.
When was this?
This was in the early eighties. I retired in 2006 and I moved back to Oklahoma. I reengaged much more heavily with leatherwork then, and that’s when I started getting more creative with it.
What was it about that first experience that drew you in and got you hooked?
It was the creative process of transforming a plain piece of leather, whether it’s a belt or a coaster, into something a little nicer.
Talk me through what that process looks like. So, say you’re making something fairly simple like a–
Let’s say a coaster.
Yes, a coaster.
You cut a basic shape, a circle or a square, and you wet it with water so it becomes more pliable. You don’t want it soaking wet, but damp enough so that the fibers absorb the water. Then you take a swivel knife – the original fidget spinner – and you cut out whatever design you have traced onto the leather.
Once you’ve cut out the edges the design, then you take a variety of different tools to beat the heck out of the leather and add shape to it.
Is heat involved?
No. It’s just force and working with the moist leather to add shape, any dips and waves and so forth, to give the effect that it’s a 3D object. So, it’s similar to low relief sculpture.
That’s so interesting! I had always assumed that heat would be involved somehow.
Some people do use heat as a final step to accent or darken something.
What inspires you?
Well, there’s a story behind this wall. [In Ric’s studio, a wall is filled with framed sketches, leather art, and memorabilia.] Prior to World War II, leather working was a closely held trade, centered in saddle shops, boot making facilities, and so forth. During World War II, a gentleman named Al Stohlman was serving in the Sixth Army down in New Guinea. He was an artist before the war and I guess he got bored and found some leather. He made stamps out of nails and used his pocket knife to cut designs. When he came back, he started making saddles, making purses, and designing belts. Then he started writing books that have helped make leather working available to the masses. I have some of his original drawings, all of those pencil drawings are ones that he did. All the ashtrays hanging on the wall there are ones that he carved.
There are awards that are named after him and his wife, Ann. Generally, a young, apprentice-level person receives the Ann Stohlman Youth Award and the Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft goes to a master craftsman. This year a gentleman named Barry King from Sheridan, Wyoming got the Al Stohlman Award. He won the Ann Stohlman Award as a youth and has been practicing ever since. I believe he is the only double winner. He mostly makes tools. A lot of the tools over there were made by him, but everything on this wall was made by Stohlman Award winners.
One of the things I love, not just about leather work, but all of the folk arts, is that they serve both a utilitarian and decorative purpose. How do you elevate your leatherwork into an art form?
Well, some people would say that I don’t. (Haha.) Most of what I make are utilitarian items. I have some wall hangings that are purely decorative, but generally I’m making purses, belts, portfolios, notebooks, and whatnot. I even do toilet seats! And I don’t want to make ’em all plain, so I do the decorative flourishes, whether it’s a geometric stamp, floral, skulls, or whatever.
Do you do commissions?
Most of the money that I make is off of commissions. I do manage to sell some things at various shows and fairs, but most of what I do is commissioned work, some of the most important being notebooks for the US Coast Guard.
When somebody makes Chief Petty Officer, they go through a process that’s called the Chief’s Call to Initiation, or CCTI. It’s a whole process where they learn and gather information about the history of the Coast Guard, get words of wisdom from other chiefs, and various other things. What you have to be as a Chief Petty Officer is an expert on all things. One of the things they have to do is create a Chief’s Charge Book, a binder to keep all of this collected material. And so I make these binders, which will be three to six inches deep, leatherbound on at least three sides, frequently four sides since they have to carry it around. The Navy Chiefs do it as well, but they tend to be required to make it themselves. The Coast Guard lets ’em buy.
Do you do book binding?
Absolutely! I start with just plain paper, stationary, drawing paper, or watercolor paper. You fold it, form it into signatures, sew those together, and wrap it in leather.
Let’s talk markets! I’ve seen your setup down at the circle in Pittsboro.
I’ve been doing a lot of them, especially over the holidays. I think I’ve only missed two of them this past year. I participate in “First Sunday” and “Finally Friday” markets in Pittsboro. It takes me a full two hours to get set up. And I’m at the Chatham Mills Farmer’s Market on Saturdays when they invite craft people into the market.
And that’s where folks can buy off-the-rack – so to speak – items?
Yes, and at my website, ricsleather.com.
I don’t do boots, I don’t do clothing. I do accessories: cuffs, bracelets, belts, handbags, notebooks. I have made a hat. I do coozies for cups and tumblers, guitar straps, rifle slings, holsters, knife sheaths, pillow covers, ornaments, lots of things. If you see something you like, email me and I will hook you up!
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