Mal Bates

My life has had many twists and turns but I have always found the time to create my own style and techniques working with leather, wood and silver. With the ability to appeal to different genres, I have made anything from motorcycle accessories to shrunken heads and Viking helmets to custom instrument straps. My natural artistic abilities are expressed by carving into leather, setting my work apart from many others. My work has been recognized in national magazines and in 2010 I received the Alice Clark Hubard Award. For many years I have always been steadily employed for others and now have taken the giant leap to continue down my artistic path. Not only do I have my Etsy shop The Lure of Cripple Creek but have opened The Hands of Man Gallery in Sterling, CT where my work is displayed along with other local artists and fine craft people.