By Anna Grace Moore
Photos by Untold Imagery
Timeless craftsmanship yields a rich abundance in texture, rich undertones and smell–and leather work marries such ingenuity with practicality, making it a rare form of beautiful artistry. Local artisan David Byland has mastered such a skill set, showcasing his work to the world through his company, Bison Ridge Leather Company.
However, David did not get his start as an leathersmith until late in life. Even still, he has always yearned to scratch his insatiable creative itch.
A Hiram College alumni, David majored in theater and later on earned his master’s degree in broadcasting and film at the University of North Carolina (UNC). David has always loved working with his hands, bringing to life beautiful–often unique–works of art from his imagination.
“Back in college, we built a little radio carrier current station for our high school,” David says. “It would run through the electrical lines, and we could send it out through the PA speakers. We built it in the physics lab. In college, we built a film camera, so we could shoot some films. I was a theater major. We wanted to direct and act in our films.”
If he could dream it, David says he could do it. After graduating from UNC, David went on to attend Capella University and earned his PhD in education curriculum development.
After teaching at several schools, David began teaching at Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) in 1991, where he would spend the bulk of his career. In 2001, David became the president of the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association.
In 2009, David became the founding editor of the Journal for Media Education. The Journal for Media Education is a peer-reviewed journal highlighting issues in media education.
David taught at OBU for 25 years and served as editor for the journal for 10 years before he and his wife, Laura, moved to Alabama for Laura’s teaching career. Samford University recruited Laura to teach in the theater department, and David began adjunct teaching broadcasting and film studies at the school, rounding out his teaching career after more than 30 years in the classroom.
During this time, David also became the Alabama Craft Guild’s president–a role in which he has served for the last two years. Yet, out of all David’s accomplishments in his career, it is his pristine leather work that is the most defining.
“I got started probably 20 years ago when we were living in Oklahoma,” David says. “We’ve always gone to art shows. We’ve always supported local artists. We were looking at hand-made, hand-bound journals in Oklahoma City. I looked at the price of it, and I thought, ‘I could probably make that.’”
David began buying leather from local shops and puzzling together how to make his own journals, but he wanted to take his creativity a step further. He and Laura often frequented rodeos, so David began talking with saddlemakers, inquiring about where they source their materials and inspiration for their designs.
“When I started exploring leather work, it was the challenge–part of it was the practicality that I enjoyed,” David says. “I feel like everything I make with very few expectations is something that is to be used. I look for things that are useful. I think that’s one of the things that attracted me to leather work.”
After about five years, David found his footing in tooling leather, fueling his passion for his newfound hobby. David says through a lot of trial and error, he found his niche.
“Overall, the project might be a failure, but you learn from the process,” David says. “I would say that’s the journey of every artist.”
In his spare time, over the course of several years, David would travel around Oklahoma, performing a one-man show about President Teddy Roosevelt. Each time he performed, audience members would teach him something new about the president’s life and legacy.
In fact, David learned after one performance that President Roosevelt led a nation-wide effort to restore the declining bison population in the U.S. by transporting bison from the New York City Zoo to Oklahoma. It would be this majestic animal for which David would later draw inspiration for his own company, Bison Ridge Leather Company.
While living in Oklahoma, David often took his daughters camping at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, which has free-range bison, long-horn cattle, elk and more. The refuge’s serenity is a beautiful depiction of the history of the Wild West.
David recalls on one camping trip, bison came through the area where they were camping. When one is in close proximity, he can marvel at the grandeur–the very size and strength of the animal and how ancient the species is.
Towards the end of a group hike, David’s family saw another bison standing tall on the top of a ridge of a small hill–the very symbol of the species’ permanence through the ages.
“There’s a strength in that timelessness that I want my work to represent,” David says. “It represents those experiences in my life. That’s partly why I use bison leather in a lot of my work. Everything that’s not tooled is bison leather. It’s strong. It’s durable. It’s unique. I love the texture of it. I love the history of it. You look at the leather, and you can see where the bison has maybe been in a fight. It tells the history of the animal.”
Now more than two decades into his craft, David sells his artwork at several Pepper Place markets as well as numerous local art shows. At every show, he sells small bags of leftover scraps he calls “bags of smells,” making sure never to waste any of the product he purchases.
Just as Native Americans respected the generous abundance American bison would provide for their tribes, David wants to respect the animal’s leather he utilizes for his work. To start, David sources huge, 9-by-5-foot-long side of bison leather from American tanneries.
He then sketches out his designs, cutting out the thicker part of the hide for bag straps and belts. Wider portions go towards making totes and leather-bound journals; whereas, smaller, in-between pieces are great for making wallets.
Having made hundreds of works of art throughout his career, David says it is difficult for him to pick a favorite piece. In October 2023, David entered the 60th annual Bluff Park Art Show and won the August A. and Cary Moore Memorial Award for one of his leather journals.
This journal depicted gorgeously carved red, yellow and orange maple leaves into the outer rim of the cover, so much so that the leaves seemed to undulate in a fair breeze. How a 2D element can yield a 3D effect is a mystery to all except the mastermind, himself.
“You have to grow as an artist, and find things that stimulate you, and the check for me is they also have to challenge me,” David says. “I’ve been challenging myself to find a way to make it look like the leaves are just sitting on top of the leather. It’s a matter of getting the leaf itself to the right thickness, getting the right kind of lift and push-down into the leather and getting the colors to sort of blend and merge like a fall leaf would. That’s a big part of it–the trial–and continuing to push myself.”
David prides himself on winning this award, saying the journal represents several years of working to develop the skills necessary to create such a dynamic piece. Looking forward, David is eager to participate in the Bluff Park Art Show and others for years to come, showcasing the beauty in a rather unconventional but no less intricate form of artwork.
While beauty may be subjective, authenticity has no rival when it comes to David Byland’s one-of-a-kind masterpieces.
To view or purchase David Byland’s artwork, visit bisonridgeleathercompany.com. Follow Bison Ridge Leather Company on Instagram @bison_ridge_leather_co.
American Bison Leather vs. African Water Buffalo Leather
“American Bison is very different from African Water Buffalo. Water buffalo hide has a sort of sponginess. Bison hide is 60-percent denser than cowhide. The hide is an amalgamation of fibers woven together. The tighter you pack those fibers, the tougher the skin is. It’s a very long-lasting leather. It’s sturdy. For me, it’s easy to work with.”
-David Byland
Upcoming Events
David Byland will be displaying his artwork at these local markets and craft shows. For a full list of events, visit bisonridgeleathercompany.com.
Bluff Park Art Show
Oct. 5 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Bluff Park Community Park
517 Cloudland Drive
The Market at Pepper Place
Nov. 2 | 7 a.m.-noon
2829 2nd Avenue South
The Alabama Craft Guild Annual Fine Art Craft Show
Nov. 9 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Nov. 10 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
2612 Lane Park Road
The Market at Pepper Place
Dec. 7 | 7 a.m.-noon
2829 2nd Avenue South
