April to November – a Toledo-region leather collection by Leatherius Woodman
From the Practice Log – Volume I-A of an ongoing series of leather stamping studies.
An August study.
A small collection grown for the Toledo region, where the field rows of Grand Rapids run down to the Maumee. Four original marks, pressed into leather – luggage tags and keychains, journals and the rest of the shelf.
First, the mark that names the collection. We drew the year as a clock of twelve marks and let blooms stand in the eight from APRIL to NOVEMBER – the four winter marks stay bare. A growing season you can hold.
We set it generous in the middle of a golden tan catchall tray, and small in the corner of a toiletry bag – warm gray over chestnut.
Next, we sent the Maumee down the length of a luggage tag – the river bending between furrows of planted blooms, carrying RIVER ROAD in its current.
The water tag is pale sea-blue, the soil tag warm tan. The third runs deep green, the color of the field.
Then we took the old local exclamation and aimed it where it belongs – at a dahlia in full bloom. HOLY TOLEDO, under one enormous flower head.
Loud on purpose, made for a market table – in warm red and vivid magenta.
And finally, the one we liked the most. We grew a single stem up through the ruled lines of a page – each line breaks where the stem passes, and above the last one it opens. THE FLOWERS KEEP GROWING.
It looks quietly beautiful stamped into the leather – blush for the weddings, deep green for the growing.
We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.
If you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.