A limey in the Netherlands says Hello!

Hello fellow leather aritsans. My name is Mark and I am a British Expat originating from Chelmsford, Essex UK. I studied design (photography) at The Plymouth college of art and Design. Working in photography for a number of years in Chicago, USA I eventually started a business in insurance restoration. It was during my time in the US that I first become interested in leather goods. Not as a maker but as an admirer and collector of vintage leather goods.

For the past 12 years I have been living in the Netherlands in the city of Almere which is about 20km from Amsterdam. I started working with leather as a hobby 6 years ago from a small 10sm garden workshop I had built. As my interest in the craft increased I soon outgrew that space. So for two years I have been renting a 52sm space which is the Cowtsh workshop. Having to pay a monthly rent was a great motivator to move me past hobbyist and into something a bit more commercial, with the initial goal to sell goods to cover the rent.

These days I'm spending half the year at Cowtsh and the other half running my carpentry and painting business. It's a good fit as when I have a break between contracts I'm back in the workshop creating with the leather. It's where I love to be, with my two dogs listening to the radio or podcasts and getting paid to create with my hands. The eventual goal is to be full time at Cowtsh. It's a long term goal and as long as the hands and eyes work I plan to work with the leather well into old age.

Happy to meet and chat with fellow leather artisans. If any of you are ever in Almere you are more than welcome to pay a visit to my workshop. You can find me on Instagram and FB under cowtsh....cheers.