xoves, 23 de setembro de 2021

Entrevista a Kathy Flanagan [COIRO]

Kathy Flanagan
Galician first, English below


Entrevistamos hoxe a Kathy Flanagan (USA), gañadora do Al Stohlman Award no ano 2016

-Canto tempo levas traballando o coiro?
O ano 1970 marcou o comezo da miña viaxe na artesanía do coiro. Non contemos os anos transcorridos dende entón. Vaime facer sentir vella.

-Como empezaches no coiro?
Na miña mocidade, un club chamado 4-H era algo importante na nosa área. Un ano, dúas mulleres da comunidade aprenderon a facer coiro para que o puidesen ensinar aos máis novos coma min nun proxecto artesanal de coiro para o 4-H. Saltei dentro e estou nisto dende entón. Unha das unidades de artesanía de coiro de 4-H titulouse "Pictures(Cadros)". Como moita xente me expresou dende entón, pensei: "Quen escoitou falar dunha cadro de coiro?" Entrei na unidade desconcertada e saín dela cun Campión.
-Qué ten o coiro que non teña outro material?
O coiro é incriblemente versátil. Non hai límite co que podes facer con el e o produto final durará toda a vida. A sela de montar que fixen hai 50 anos é tan boa agora, ou quizais incluso mellor, que cando era nova. O coiro pódese labrar, estirar, cortar, coser ou manipular de calquera xeito e empregalo para decorar ou para unha gran cantidade de artigos útiles, tan pequenos como un dedal ou como un escudo. É duro, por moi fino que se corte.

Pavo, "Extreme embossing"


 
-Entre as diferentes técnicas que coñeces, cal é a túa favorita?
Labrar o coiro sempre foi o que me gusta. Nunca tiven o desexo de construír un proxecto sen decoración. O tipo de decoración evolucionou ao longo dos anos, dende o principio a flores estilo western ata a “talla” de figuras en relevo. O labrado extremo é impresionante para min, pero gústame un estampado lixeiro con pouco ou ningún corte.

-Que peza tes ganas de facer e aínda non fixeches?
Hai moitas cousas que quero facer, pero non a teño. Entre as miñas posesións, nalgún lugar dunha caixa, están os inicios dunha funda para ordenador portátil para a miña filla. Non serei feliz comigo mesmo se nunca a fago. Tamén me gustaría facer un gran cadro en relevo con moitos animais. Non decidín que tipo de animais serán.

Rinoceronte, "Extreme embossing"

-Que consello daríaslle/daríanlle a alguén que está a empezar no traballo do coiro?
Para os que comezan, diríxete a alguén que coñeza de verdade os xeitos da artesanía en coiro para comezar. É importante aprender do xeito correcto dende o principio. Volver a aprender é difícil para calquera. Despois de dominar os conceptos básicos, que escolla a rama que lle guste e use a súa imaxinación.

-Tes algunha ferramenta única ou especial?
Teño moitas ferramentas especiais, pero son especiais para min e non necesariamente para ninguén máis. As miñas vellas ferramentas de labrado de Tandy de cando empecei a traballar o coiro están definitivamente na parte superior da lista. Aprendín a usalos cedo e podo conseguir que fagan o que necesito deles. A miña cuña (Beveler) daquela época é insubstituíble. No aspecto de ferramentas máis novas e sofisticadas, a miña culler de modelar de Peter Main é a miña ferramenta de referencia para calquera proceso de labrado. Outra ferramenta que se fixo útil é un buril cun pequeno punto que me fixo Ed Labarre. A pequena e pequena ferramenta puntiaguda de Jurgen Volbach tamén se converteu nun dos meus favoritos.

Ferramentas preferidas de Kathy Flanagan.
 


-Tes algún artesán do coiro que consideres inspirador?
Non hai ningún xeito doado de responder a esta. Inspireime nunha enorme cantidade de xente. Nas miñas viaxes coñecín e vin o traballo de artistas de coiro sorprendentes. Esas viaxes comezaron hai anos no meu club 4-H, pasaron ao director de Tandy’s e logo aos mestres que tanto me ensinaron nos seus talleres. O traballo de coiro nos grandes encontros de coiro me inspira e me axuda a ver como podo mellorar. Estou moi inspirado no traballo de moita xente, dende membros do gremio próximos ata coñecidos en países afastados. Estas persoas con talento non só son unha inspiración, senón que tamén son os nenos que ensino. É incrible o que estas mentes imaxinativas poden pensar.

-Que significa a ti para ser recoñecido co Al Stohlman Award? 
Este premio cambiou moitos aspectos da miña vida. Medrei cunha baixa autoestima. Eu era a mosca da parede, escoitaba e arrepía para que alguén me vise e me deixase en algún sitio. O premio Al Stohlman cambiou todo iso. Síntome conmovida pola forma en que a xente me trata con amor e respecto. Nin sequera podo expresar como me sinto cando estou rodeado desas persoas, e isto ocorre en todas as partes do mundo. Nunca sospeitei que me chegase un prestixioso premio coma este. A miña irmá díxome non hai moito: "O teu irmán e eu eramos os primeiros da promoción no instituto e ti non. Non obstante, es a única que fixo algo de ti ". Ese é outro aspecto do premio que me conmove.
Xirafa, "Extreme embossing"




















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Today we interview Kathy Flanagan (USA), winner of the Al Stohlman Award in 2016


Trompa de elefante , "Extreme embossing"

-How long have you been working with leather?
The year 1970 marked the beginning of my journey in leather craft. Let’s not count the years which have elapsed since then. It will make me feel old.

-How did you start in leather craft?
In my youth, a club called 4-H was a big thing in our area. One year, two ladies in the community learned how to do leather work so that they could teach youngsters like myself in a leather craft project for 4-H. I jumped right in and have been at it ever since. One of the units in 4-H leather craft was titled “Pictures”. As so many people have expressed to me since then, I thought, “Who ever heard of a leather picture?” I went into the unit mystified, and came out of it with a Champion.

-What does the leather have that another material doesn’t?
Leather is amazingly versatile. There is no limit as to what you can do with it, and the end product will last a lifetime. The saddle I made 50 years ago is just as good now, or maybe even better, than it was when it was new. Leather can be tooled, stretched, cut, stitched, or otherwise manipulated, and used for decoration or a vast number of useful articles, as small as a thimble or as large as a coat of armor. It is tough, no matter how thin it is cut. 


Gatiños, "Extreme embossing"
-Among the different techniques you know, which one is your favorite?
Tooling leather has always been what I love. Never have I had the desire to construct a project which had no decoration. The type of decoration has evolved through the years from, in the beginning, western floral, to embossed figure carving. Extreme embossing is impressive to me, but I enjoy light embossing with little or no cutting the best.

-Which work piece do you feel like doing and haven’t done yet?
There are so many things I want to do, but have not. Among my possessions, somewhere in a box, are the beginnings of a laptop computer case for my daughter. I will not be happy with myself if I never get that done. I also would like to make a large embossed picture with many animals in it. I have not decided what kind of animals they will be.

-What would be your piece of advice for anyone who was beginning?
For beginners, go to someone who truly knows the ways of leather craft to get your start. It is important to learn the right way from the beginning. To relearn is difficult for anyone. Once you have mastered the basics, branch out in any direction you choose, and put your imagination to use.

-Have you got any special or unique tool?
I have a lot of special tools, but they are special to me, and not necessarily to anyone else. My old Tandy stamping tools from when I first started leather work are definitely at the top of the list. I learned how to use them early on, and can get them to do whatever it is I need from them. My beveler from that era is irreplaceable. In the aspect of newer, more sophisticated tools, my Peter Main modeling spoon is my go-to tool for any and all tooling processes. Another tool which has become useful is a stylus with a tiny point which Ed Labarre made for me. The teeny tiny pointy tool from Jurgen Volbach has become a favorite of mine as well.

-Do you have a leathercrafter who you consider inspiring?
There is no easy way to answer this one! I have been inspired by an enormous number of people. In my journeys, I have met and seen the work of astounding leather artists. Those journeys started years ago in my 4-H club, went on to the manager at Tandy’s, then to the masters who taught me so much in their workshops. Leather work at the big leather shows inspire me and help me to see how I can improve. I am very much inspired by the work of many people, from the nearby guild members to acquaintances in far away countries. Not only are these talented people an inspiration, but also are the children I teach. It’s amazing what these imaginative minds can think up.

-What does it mean to you to be recognized with the Al Stohlman Award?
This award has changed so many aspects of my life. I grew up with low self esteem. I was the fly on the wall, listening, and cringing that someone might see me and put me down in some way. The Al Stohlman Award changed all that. I feel humbled at the way people treat me with love and respect. I cannot even express how I feel when I am surrounded by these people, and it happens in all parts of the world. Never did I suspect a prestigious award like this one would come to me. My sister said to me not long ago, “Your brother and I were both valedictorians in high school, and you were not. Yet you are the only one who has made something of yourself.” That’s another aspect of the award which humbles me.

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