Having grown up in three western states, Gordon has been working leather since the 1970's.
"My first tools were some stamps of my grandfather's; he had made some of them from nails and bolts. In high school I began working on saddles for friends and neighbors and carved everything I could. I would fall asleep at night designing work in my head and go straight to work after school. My bedroom was a saddle shop with a bed in it. It was great!"
Gordon eventually found work as a saddle maker at various shops in Utah and Colorado. While earning an art degree at Utah State University he worked at the then Cache Valley Horseman in the saddle shop. After college he went on to earn a Master of Fine Art degree at Alfred University in rural western New York State. He has this to say about his craft:
"Because of a longstanding interest in historic saddlery and harness I seek out every opportunity to study original pieces of gear from the nineteenth century, a time before manufacturing practices had sped to the point that care for details and hand work were lost in the rush of mechanization. Today I employ many of these time tested methods in the construction of the saddles that I make. While I greatly value the work of old masters of the trade, I don't feel locked into any one approach to making saddles. I'm grateful to those who have been willing to help me along the way, and am constantly learning from people that I meet. I think that saddlery is a living art, not a lost or even dying one as some may think. To me artistry is vital to any creative endeavor. As a saddler I strive to achieve as high a level of artistry in my craftsmanship as I can. I love making things that are useful and feel blessed to be working at something that I enjoy so much."
