Cactus Paw Leatherworks was founded in Elbert County, Colorado. The company’s name originated from what we decided to name our little ranch, “Cactus Paw Ranch.” My family and I moved here in 2017 when our beloved dog Olive was just a pup. On our first walk around the property with Olive, she stepped on one of the many prickly pear cactus on the land. She howled and cried, so I ended up having to carry her all the way to the house. To this day Olive is my loyal workshop helper and has learned to sniff out those prickly pear.

I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories include looking forward to and enjoying art classes as a young child in school. That training eventually carried through to fine art study at University. My primary focus at that time was photography, but I always did other visual art on the side. Throughout the years, I have explored sculpture, painting, and installation, and in the end, some of my favorite work is what I think we can label “functional art.” That love of functional art leads my passion for leatherwork, jewelry making, and textiles.

My wife and I both also love donkeys. This painting I made for her is acrylic on wood panel and plaster. Occasionally, one of my errant visual works might make it into the Cactus Paw shop.