Wilson Capron

At first glance, this bit appears to be a classic Santa Barbara bit. However, if one looks closer, they see the traditional beads have disappeared and in their place are tiny flowers emerging from the steel, each centered with gold and surrounded by flowing scrollwork. Built around a mouthpiece trusted by modern horsemen, this piece balances practicality and artistry. The longer one studies it, the more details reveal themselves. “Some pieces demand attention,” Capron said. “This one rewards it. Look for the flowers hidden in plain sight.”

Every maker learns the rules. The fun begins, Capron says, when one knows which rules to break. These Chihuahua spurs challenge convention at nearly every turn. Curved rowel points create movement. The hook sits where tradition says it shouldn’t. The engraving combines Western influence with elements more commonly found in Victorian design. The result, Capron said, is something familiar yet unexpected. “The kind of piece that makes one stop, step closer and wonder why it works so well. Because it shouldn’t,” he said, “and yet it does.”

Every piece, Capron says, begins with a question. For this bit, Capron’s question was simple: How much visual interest can be concentrated on a single focal point? For Capron, the answer became an exploration of texture, contrast and dimension. Sterling silver overlays, twisting inlays, gold accents and black shading all work toward a common purpose — not competing for attention, but directing it. At the center sits a concha that Capron said is unlike any built before. “The longer one studies the piece, the more apparent it becomes,” he notes. “Everything leads back to the center.”

Before there were convenience stores, there were beans. Before restaurants, there were chuckwagons. For Capron, who grew up near the Mexican border and far from town, beans weren’t a side dish. They were survival. This piece pays tribute to one of the most overlooked tools in Western history. Hand forged from steel and accented with stainless ornamentation, it transforms an ordinary camp utensil into something worthy of display. “Practical. Humble. Essential,” said Capron. “Just like the people who carried them.”

As a child, there wasn’t anything that scared Capron more than hearing a nearby coyote sing its song. Today, their howling creates a different emotion in him. Coyotes are survivors that adapt to whatever is going on around them, which is why they are one of Capron’s favorite animals. For the Howling at the Moon Spurs, Capron sculpted each coyote in 14K gold with relief engraved sterling silver overlays surrounding them. The rowels have fine silver inlays on curved tines, which Capron said represent the ever-changing journey we all travel.