Did you know that I usually name my bags from some sort of inspiration? A woman, usually that perhaps lived on the western frontier, or someone from my family lineage. Maybe another artist or character in a novel I just read. One such woman, Isabelle Johnson, was an American painter and modernist artist in Montana, born about one hundred years ago. I viewed her work at the Yellowstone Art Museum and really fell in love with it. The way she painted the landscapes somehow made my time spent in such landscapes feel even more real. It somehow connected my experiences in the Beartooth-Absarokee Mountians to hers. So, a few years ago, when I had a new bag in mind, something tall rather than wide, slim, and unassuming, something that somehow made a portrait out of the cowhide I used. Imagine if you will, a brown and white hair-on-hide with a streak of white down the center that had such a powerful vertical line it reminded me of a lightning bolt. As I deliberated over a name, I came across Isabelle’s work again. Then I saw ‘Old Willows Winter’ in which the dramatic vertical lines that spread out in branches of the tree felt reminiscent of the thunderous white streaks in the cowhide I was working with. Immediately, I was hooked. I knew it would have to be the Isabelle bag.
Now, since then, I have many iterations of the Isabelle Tote. None have ever quite had that same thunderous streak though. There have been other hair-on-cowhides, different leathers, colors, even leopard print. I’m always happy when I make one and am reminded of Isabelle Johnson’s work. She was not only an artist, she was a teacher and an “influencer” in her day. She inspired many by capturing the essence of Montana. You can visit the YAM link to read more about her here: Isabelle Johnson.
My newest bag, which hopefully will fill my next blog, is another iteration of the Isabelle Tote. This one with a bit of an artist flair from myself. I can’t wait to show you! Do you have an inspiration? Someone you would name a bag after? Maybe you, like I, have an old black and white photo of your grandmother on her engagement day, holding a “pillow purse” ! Let me know in the comments.