Today’s post is a story of a master bush craftsman, Doug Kite, who recently celebrated his 92nd birthday by donating the best of his life’s leatherwork to the Museum of Victoria collections.
Although humble and modest in nature, Doug’s leather plaiting and braiding work is sought out by admirers and collectors around the world. His style is uniquely his own and clearly reflects his love for the South Australian outback. Here’s a video about Doug as recently presented by ABC news:
For more information, click here to see a full transcript of the video on the ABC news website. Additionally, you can visit the online database of the Museum of Victoria for more detail on Doug and a collection of the pieces he donated.
Very inspiring video. Undoubtedly Doug had done nobody had done. Just wish there is book that can describe how to braid the Dough way,
If you come across any additional information, Delfin, please let us know =)
Hi Delfin! If you don’t yet have it, you might try the book “Encyclopedia of rawhide and leather braiding”. 528 pages. Author Bruce Grant. First published in 1970. ISBN 0-87033-161-2. It’s pretty thorough and informative,
Thanks for the recommendation, Chris!
Amazing work. Just amazing.
Thanks, Valerie. We thought so too!
What great work. Watching this interview will make it even more special if I get the chance to see his work on display in Melbourne.
Just a quick tip for readers viewing this on iPads that cannot see the video in safari. There is a great app that called Puffin browser that displays this blog beautifully and enables the video to be played seamlessly.
Did you get a chance to see his work while in Melbourne, Paul? We’d love to hear what you thought if so.
I am lucky enough to have spent some time with Doug & he deserves all the accolades coming his way
That’s a real honor! I’m glad that those who were close to him feel as strongly as the general community. That says a lot about him and his work.
Thank you so much for featuring the work of Doug and drawing the attention to the old Masters of the Australian bush like him. If you can find a copy, there was a book by Ron Edwards that was all about braiding I remember reading as a kid.. His book series is amazing to start with but if I recall it details how to plait very intricate things (particularly the art of whip making)
Thanks for the book recommendation. I’ll check it out. And yes, artists like Doug deserve more attention than they get!