Meet Deana
Pencil and paper, a piece of latigo leather string, a broken headstall, and a moccasin kit is where I started about 40 years ago. My name is Deana Attebery. I grew up riding horses and loving animals in very rural Midvale, Idaho. My family had beef cattle and a small dairy where I learned to herd cattle on horseback, bottle raise calves (which involved learning to give shots and general health care), and tractor drive for the farming. Being first born, my Dad was positive I would be a BOY. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case but, I was named after my dad, was a “tom” boy, and went everywhere I could with my dad. That didn’t make me miss out on the skills that a woman “should have”, my Mom made sure I also knew how to cook, clean, sew, embroider, and play the piano, etc. These things have shaped my life and laid the foundation for where I am today.
My Dad was always my greatest support whether it was with my drawing or making things with leather. I think he used to put the broken tack together with baling twine just to annoy and encourage me to fix it right. My Mom was always support in my artistic dreams too, her teaching me piano and embroidery gave me the dexterity and perseverance which set me up for my interest in braiding.
Riding my Palomino mare across the valley and into the hills or riding up to the river, was where I adopted a strong love for nature and desire to find what was over the next ridge. I still do! I have outlived my Palomino mare and now have a Quarter horse who does reining (Monty) and a couple youngsters getting started. The leather work I do now reflects this love of nature, where many of my flowers that I incorporate into my designs are Idaho wild flowers. When I pick up and feel a piece of leather or rawhide, the smells of the horses, dust, cattle, and leather that I grew up with stir my memories and are what I desire to share with people who see my work. I am still a ‘rancher’ on a small place in Emmett, Idaho, with my side kicks, Annie and Duke. I get inspiration from the animals, mountains and high dessert habitat that I see when I step out my door. After the horses, cows, dogs, etc. are cared for, the irrigation is done, then I get to go to the shop and follow my heart.
In pursuit of following my heart, I have had many opportunities to learn and add to my skill set over the years. I’ve been lucky enough to work on tooling 3-D pictures and designs into tooling leather, constructing horse gear, and braiding leather and rawhide. I was able to spend two weeks working with a saddle maker to improve my tooling skills, as well as workshops whenever and wherever I can, one of which was with Cary Schwarz in Salmon, ID. Also, years ago I attended several 3-D leather carving classes with the late Rob Barr. To learn the braiding, I worked a year as an apprentice with Steve Derricott, a master braider. I also have had the opportunity to be in several workshops with Pablo Lazano, a world class braider from Argentina. I have drawn pictures with pencil since I was a small child and expanded to pen and ink when in college. I still have the first horse sketch I drew as a child and the first saddle I made, which fulfilled a lifetime goal of making a custom saddle. These early pieces remind me of where I started and still drive me to continue to improve and push myself every time I step into the shop. Life has sometimes gotten in the way of my practice but I do try to take the time as much as it allows to continue my learning journey.
Whether it is selling a piece of my leather art, writing a published article or teaching classes on 3-D leather tooling, college life learning, or working with kids in schools across Idaho, sharing what I have spent a lifetime learning brings me great joy. I hope to be able to continue my work and share all that I can for many years to come!
