Artwork for Lisandro Serra Delmar
The shoe lasts are the key
Martial arts training
Footwork is the essence of Ninjutsu
Lisandro at work in his shoe making workshop
Details
My journey as a shoe maker and designer is grounded in my family lineage, my grandfather was a saddler in Argentina and a Gaucho (Argentinian Cowboy) and one of my great aunties was a shoe maker, whilst my dad was a leather worker when he was young before he became an artist. My journey started in martial arts, spending time concentrating on my own feeling of balance, freedom of movement and connection to the ground. I then decided to combine my interest in leather making and translate this feeling into shoes that I could make and share with other people.
My work is an organic expression of my personal creativity and connection to my personal process as a martial artist and as an artist. I want my work to be sustainable, ethical and help to create health and vitality for my clients. My work is an iterative artistic process that is shared with the customer on a one-to-one basis, to allow the customer to receive a product the is uniquely made for them, with them. Mr craft requires constant interaction with natural materials and matter, mistakes allow growth and reminds me that while we can aspire to perfection, we are human. Reminding us that, natural materials and our interaction with them, whether we make or wearing beautiful shoes, brings us back to live in connection to the earth.
I am a traditional shoe maker, making leather barefoot shoes by hand. I am a designer, maker and director of my own leather shoe making business Gaucho Ninja. I am also a martial artist, practising
I run a shoe making business which is my full time occupation. I also teach martial arts twice a week to 8 - 9 local students. I run shoe making workshops regularly as I want to empower people to learn how to make for themselves. I have taught at the annual Pyrites Craft Camp as well as running workshops in my native Spain.
I am entirely self taught. I have taken The Practical Skills Teacher/Tutor Development Course run by Bernard Graves who runs the Pyrites Camp.
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I sell online via Etsy, Shopify, Hope and Story, I have been accepted by Wolf and Badger to stock through them. I run my shoe making business from a unit near Kingstone, Herefordshire, which is open by appointment.
