Crafting art through leather

In a heated garage studio near Monticello, the rhythmic tapping of a small mallet striking a swivel knife fills the air. The creative space of Mike Bray, a custom leather artisan whose work pays tribute to military, law enforcement, and beyond, is truly one of a kind. With a skilled and delicate hand, the artist’s precision and attention to detail transforms raw leather into custom creations and works of art, each telling a unique story.   

Journey into Leatherworking

Mike Bray has always been an artist, but he wasn’t always a leatherworker. Twenty-five years ago, Bray made the decision to attend saddle-making school in Kansas, where he learned the tools of the trade and never looked back. “I collected old saddles, and it was costing me too much to have them repaired, so I quit my job and went to saddle-making school. I was 44 when I went to saddle-making school, so you can teach an old dog new tricks.”    

Mike studied the art of saddle-making, and as his craftsmanship evolved, his works have expanded into other avenues. Bray has designed and crafted leather belts, vests, holsters, and even custom guitar straps for big-name country singer-songwriters, such as Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Gary Allan, Neil McCoy, Joni Harms, and Lee Greenwood, to name a few. 

Bray’s business is largely word-of-mouth, as he does not have a website and does not take online orders. “People just call me up and ask. I get many orders. I can’t keep up.”

Buyers of Bray’s works often have a general theme or concept in mind, but the details are left to the artist. Bray incorporates carvings symbolic to the beholder. He shared the example of the carving of a wren, coinciding with his wife’s first name, Wren, showcasing his artistic potential. “Everything I do is personalized. That’s what people want, the personalized. There’s a lot of thought put in.” 

For those lucky enough to own one of his creations, it’s not just a product, it’s a story carried in leather, meant to last a lifetime. Each piece is more than an object; it tells the story of the person who wears and appreciates it.

Craftsmanship

Unlike mass-produced leather goods, every piece by Mike Bray is meticulously handcrafted. “Everything is done by hand. That’s why people come to me. You still have a lot of purists out there. If I did it by machine, I wouldn’t get business.”

Bray works pieces of leather by first getting them wet to soften and then utilizes various leather working tools to hand-carve each design. “I try to buy the oldest tools I can because the steel is better, and they make better imprints.” Bray often uses custom-made metal stamping tools, while combining riveting, gluing, and sewing. “Everything is done free hand.” For portrait style works, Bray stated, “I pound the leather out and make it 3-D. I carve everything and paint it with acrylic paints.”

Community

Bray is passionate about honoring the service of others, crafting tribute saddles and other works for display, conducting interviews to get information for each piece. He’s currently working on a saddle to commemorate women in the military. 

Sharing his creations with the community is important to Bray, who often auctions items at shows and donates the proceeds back to the organizations who coordinate the events. 

During the summer months, Bray displays a customized 1957 Lone Star boat combined with a 1969 American Yankee fuselage that he calls the “American Yankee,” one of his most talked-about and admired creations. This boat-plane, with its hand-crafted detail, is truly a unique work of art. “Everywhere I go, this is a hit.”

Bray plans to continue crafting works of art and displaying them for the public to enjoy. 

Editor’s Note: The photos in this article don’t do justice to the detail and artistry of Mike Bray’s craftsmanship and the beauty of his creations. His works should be viewed in person, and if you have the opportunity to see them, this writer highly recommends doing so.