Cary Schwarz

Cary Schwarz began his journey in leatherwork in 1972, growing up on a family farm in a German Lutheran community in Idaho. After working in a holster shop in the late 1970s, he further honed his craft by attending a saddlemaking trade school in the early 1980s. Schwarz diligently studied saddlemaking, crediting influences such as Ray Holes Saddle Company, Dale Harwood, and Chuck Stormes for shaping his approach, which prioritizes both function and art in his custom saddles. Schwarz is a founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA), a non-profit dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional cowboy crafts. He has received recognition for his work, including the Governor’s Award for the Arts by the Idaho Commission on the Arts in 2010 and being named Saddlemaker of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists in 2009. Schwarz lives with his family in Salmon, Idaho. He conducts clinics and workshops on leatherwork and saddlemaking.

www.caryschwarz.com