"Some pieces are so delicate they appear to be made of silk.
Some appear to be finely carved.
Many pieces conjure visions of the Renaissance.
Others are reminiscent of America's Southwest.
Most can be likened to nothing else."

The Artist

Kurt Rauen's art has taken many paths over many years. A native Michigander, son of an artistically creative mother and an engineer-father, he was raised in the best of both worlds. Encouraged by his father, he applied himself to machine design and, at the age of 15, won the blue ribbon in The Detroit News Drafting Contest over competitors many years his senior. Such early successes steered him toward a career in engineering that lasted more than twenty years.

Exposed early in life to fine arts, his desire to create beauty was always in his mind. The art bug bit before he was old enough to shave. As a young teenager, he began by airbrushing vehicles and signs in his own unique designs and was in high demand in the Detroit area.

He later turned to three-dimensional art and created the series, Outworld, copyrighted in 1986, and has won an award for his design. He has designed and crafted leather Renaissance costumes and accessories. Over time, his tooling became more elaborate; his colors more sophisticated; his designs more intriguing.

A Christmas gift project for his mother opened the door to a new avenue - stretched and sculpted leather. After months of perfecting his techniques, he was producing hanging sculptures, wall sconces, bas-relief art ranging from angels to zebras, and molded leather objects for table display. He has recently been producing bracelets, necklaces, handlets, and other body adornments.

The public throughout the mid-west and along the mid-Atlantic coast has made him a popular exhibitor at galleries and in art and fine craft shows. Although he has now expanded to the entire country through the Internet, he continues to participate in shows to experience, first-hand, people's reactions to his work and to glean inspiration for new pieces.

The Art

After the Artist has created a mental image, many processes are required to turn that image into a work of art. Each step is time consuming; many are physically taxing. Because of the vagaries of a natural medium like leather, the precise outcome of each process is uncertain until completed.

Although a shape or style may be duplicated many times, no two pieces are exactly the same. Hands never pull materials the same way twice. No two pieces of leather have the same elasticity. Temperature fluctuates and levels of humidity vary widely. Even two pieces of leather finished in the same color will be different because no two pieces take dye precisely the same way.

There are no employees, Kurt Rauen personally hand crafts each piece individually at his studio in Western Michigan.