Westering: Occidental in Leather × Leatherius Woodman – a leather stamping study

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies.

A September study. Volume I-D.

Westering – Occidental in Leather.

Occidental is a redwood town on the Bohemian Highway in western Sonoma County, and its name is a compass: occidental, of the setting sun. A few miles on, the ridges look out at the Pacific. This collection presses that westness into leather.

First, we took the town at its word. OCCIDENTAL rides a long horizon, and between two redwoods the sun is going down – which is what the name has meant all along.

Black-and-white artwork of an Occidental sunset horizon between redwoods, a stamp design for the Westering leather collection in Occidental, California.

It runs lengthwise along the luggage tags. On the black tag the sun goes down in gold.

A arizona leather luggage tags stamped with an Occidental sunset horizon between redwoods, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

A gray sand leather luggage tags stamped with an Occidental sunset horizon between redwoods, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

A black leather luggage tags stamped with an Occidental sunset horizon between redwoods, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

The same horizon travels on the toiletry bag, pressed small into the corner of the warm tan leather.

A caramel leather dopp kits stamped with an Occidental sunset horizon between redwoods, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

Next, for the keys. We cut a keyhole and put the way home inside it – redwoods and a small lit cabin – with NEARLY HOME underneath. Whoever holds the keychain is already holding the door.

Black-and-white artwork of a keyhole framing trees and a cabin with NEARLY HOME, a stamp design for the Westering leather collection in Occidental, California.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A forest green leather keychains stamped with a keyhole framing trees and a cabin with NEARLY HOME, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

A caramel leather keychains stamped with a keyhole framing trees and a cabin with NEARLY HOME, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

Then, the journals. A redwood writes one line a year and never misses an entry, so the cover corner carries its method – growth rings around an off-center heart, WRITTEN IN RINGS along the rim.

Black-and-white artwork of a tree cross-section with WRITTEN IN RINGS, a stamp design for the Westering leather collection in Occidental, California.

It looks genuinely beautiful on the chestnut leather, and the deep green reads like the canopy above the rings.

A sicilian brown leather journals stamped with a tree cross-section with WRITTEN IN RINGS, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

A forest green leather journals stamped with a tree cross-section with WRITTEN IN RINGS, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

And finally, the catchall tray. Apples and peaches once left Occidental by rail, so we bent their boughs into a wreath around the one word a tray obeys – GATHER.

Black-and-white artwork of an apple and peach wreath surrounding GATHER, a stamp design for the Westering leather collection in Occidental, California.

Pressed generous and centered into the golden tan of the tray.

A arizona leather catchall trays stamped with an apple and peach wreath surrounding GATHER, from the Westering collection in Occidental, California.

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 any of these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.