​Over the last several years I’ve worked with countless mediums. From oils to stained glass and even once a blow torch, but it’s leather that I feel drawn to. The grain (often pregnancy marks) and spots (most likely fly bites or barbed wire picks) tell a personal history of its source that connects me to something ancient and organic. It’s with the rugged, yet romantic spirit of a mountaineer, I tool and hand stitch the leather to create something new. 

Leather is my mission field. I make things to connect with people. As a Christian I appreciate being given a new life. People who own a Barefoot Balli piece get to tell the leather’s new story. I’m thinking of a wallet that was gifted to a mother in Switzerland, a bag created specifically for street wear in Belgium, and the Barefoot Balli Portfolio that was designed to carry art supplies on campus and  Manhattan. 

Below are some of the custom orders I have done as well as pieces featured in the shop.
Site designed and managed by Alex Fliegel.