Scott Gelander

Artist Statement

Scott Gelander – Leather Craftsman
It's not wood, it's leather! I have been working in the leather industry for 30+ years with a specialty in everything related to upholstery leather, from furniture to aircraft to automotive. A gift of placemats from my mom with thin slices of wood mounted on felt backing, would change everything. I noticed how the fiber structure of crosscut wood closely resembles the structure of a thick bundle of saddle leather that I had been looking at earlier in the day. I began to replicate the appearance of wood by cutting thin leather laces and turning them on their side, exposing the leather fiber. The next year, my first leather tree rug debuted. I’ve since used the tree rug leather base to create unique wall art. Please visit my website at www.sgtreeartrugs.com to see a wide variety of my leather works and tree rugs.