Amazing artistry, intricate tooling, a GORGEOUS horse and all these incredibly cute, mini leatherscrap animals! Meet Artist Casey Gunschel!

Oh my gosh. I have to put these photos right up front before I wax lyrically all over the place for artist, Casey Gunschel. These photos are from her site. Casey tools leather beautifully! She cares for a gorgeous draft gelding. She also forms scrap leather into the cutest mini animals AND creates incredible furniture, sculptures, leather walls, tables, chairs, seats for motorcycles… anything made of leather – even grained leather tiles!

*You may recognize the little leatherscrap horses… Casey sent a dozen to help with the December Bucket Fund. I didn’t ask. She just offered. Yep. A she’s a good heart, too.

TAKE A LOOK!

A leatherscrap rhino!

Casey with hr draft gelding, Dexter.

Her beautiful tooling.

Could you imagine doing this freehand?!

A motorcycle!

This is a private wine bar in Napa. Isn’t that wall – amazing?!

Octopus tooling!

What a great idea!

Adorable!

ABOUT CASEY…and Dexter!

Casey is a reader of the blog. I’ve never chatted with her previous to her offering to send a dozen leatherscrap horses to benefit the December Bucket Fund.

When the mini gift horses arrived, I was absolutely charmed. Casey had included her card inside the box. So, I went to her site.

OMGosh! I was so impressed. Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS work!!

And not only was I impressed with her tooling and leather craft, she also had a huge and glorious horse! Here was the first photo I saw of delectable Dexter.

Gorgeous Dexter

So I asked Casey about her life, her horse, her living in Oregon, the amazing leather wine bar wall… I could go on and on. I wanted to know it all! … and this is what she said:

Hi Dawn,

I LOVED Oregon. I grew up in Massachusetts by lived in Chicago on and off for 20 years – and in one of my “off” times I married a wild land firefighter who was stationed in Lakeview. It was a big, wonderful culture shock and I had no idea what to do with myself so I bugged a saddle maker until he caved and let me learn how to work leather. Needless to say, I’m no longer married, no longer in Oregon, but still playing with leather. And now back in Massachusetts, right off Cape Cod.

So that wine bar at at Trinchero Vineyard. Are you familiar? I keep meaning to get my butt out there to see it. A great excuse to go to Napa for a visit!
And I wish I had great pictures of the “cow”. I think you’re probably talking about the drawing I was transferring on the wall. That was actually a moose.

This is the ‘cow’ I was speaking about, which is actually a moose. What an amazing wall piece, right?!

Anyhow, my HORSE! His name is Dexter but I call him Dex (I think of the serial killer when I think of Dexter and I’d rather not). He’s a 17.3 hand, 14 year old Belgian-y guy. He was a PMU foal and lived in New Hampshire until he was six. And then he moved to Massachusetts and stood, by himself, in someones back yard sand lot for years. When I moved down the street from him five years ago he and I found each other and the rest is history. So I guess I kind of acquired him? He now lives with a very large Percheron mare named Tilly in my backyard. Dex and I do a lot of trail riding in the cranberry bogs around the area, and he is an all around solid citizen. I realize I’m biased, but he is the perfect horse for me. I took a picture this afternoon and attached it – but if you want to use a picture off my Instagram please do!