G.K. Fraker - Sheridan style leather carving & stamping

Master: G.K. Fraker, Buffalo, WY
Apprentice: Robert Dennis, Red Owl
Art Form: Sheridan style leather carving & stamping

Rancher and saddle maker Robert Dennis of Red Owl has been a master in the Apprenticeship Program several times, passing on his knowledge of saddle building to other local cowboys. This time he took on the apprentice role, working under G.K. Fraker, a well-respected saddle maker from Buffalo, Wyoming. Robert wanted to improve his skills in leather tooling so he could do more decorative work on his saddles, and G.K. is a master of the Sheridan style, which features intricate floral and other types of stamping. Robert says learning these new skills revived his interest in saddle making, and claimed that every customer from now on would get some tooling on his or her saddle, whether they wanted it or not.

 

Robert Dennis (man) sitting on wooden bench
Robert Dennis visiting with G.K. Fraker in his shop outside Buffalo, Wyoming.

 

Flower-tooled saddle parts (leather)

This fender is one of Robert Dennis’s first flower-tooled saddle parts.

Floral stamped leather. Stamp reads, "G.K. Fraker, Maker, Buffalo WYO"

A sample of G.K. Fraker’s floral stamping.