Hey there! I'm Mario, an award winning leatherworker and visual artist proudly based in a beautiful tiny town called Kyogle, NSW (Australia).

 

​I have spent years improving my skills with traditional tools, often using primitive, unchanged implements like deer antler and cow’s ribs that have been used to work leather for centuries. 
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Leatherwork started as a side project and quickly became a passion. After years working in design and digital work in Sydney, I found it incredibly rewarding to return to the hands-on process of crafting with leather.  I threw myself into learning everything I could about the craft, its techniques, traditions, culture and possibilities. In a craft that is millennia old, there is always something new to learn. 

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I put my art practice on hold for about 8 years whilst I immersed myself in the leather practice. I created and ran a successful handmade leather goods business that allowed me to practice every single day. I told myself that I would not make fine art again until I felt comfortable with this new medium so that I could create new work without any inhibitions in skill. 
 

Now, after over 12 years as a full time professional leatherworker I enjoy combining my leatherworking skills with my love of the visual arts to create fine art pieces that go beyond utility and tell stories. I love pushing the boundaries of leather as a medium, pushing it beyond its deep roots in craft towards something more expressive that can sit comfortably in a gallery amongst other fine art.

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I am often inspired by fantasy and story-telling with which one can delve into deeper meaning whilst being incredibly playful and boundless. 

 

Click Here to view a gallery of some of my artworks

over the last few years.