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National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum ®
Leland Hensley
Rawhide Braider

Leland Hensley

Member

About the Artist

Artwork
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Artwork by Leland Hensley

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Braided Southwestern Style Quirt – #33

Rawhide Quirt

$3,100

Sold

For this sleek and durable Southwestern style quirt, Hensley braided the body using natural colored rawhide with an antique patina, interwoven with two varying shades of brown leather. He crafted the knots from strings dyed using bark from local cedar trees.

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Braided Southwestern Style Quirt – #33

To add a touch of elegance, TCAA bit & spur maker Troy Flaharty fashioned the blued and silver inlaid handle, which is crowned with the TCA logo in silver.

 Braided Southwestern Style Quirt – #33
Braided Southwestern Style Quirt – #33

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Braided Rawhide Bracelet – #34

Rawhide Bracelet

$1,350

Sold

Hensley fashioned this rawhide bracelet on the lines of a wristwatch. Using natural colored rawhide, he added dark brown accents and a touch of turquoise to complete this wristwatch style bracelet.

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Braided Rawhide Bracelet – #34

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Braided Rawhide Bracelet – #34

Leland Hensley

Meridian, Texas

Leland Hensley picked up rawhide braiding while attending Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, in the early 1980s. After graduating, he managed a small Texas ranch and continued to hone his skills at braiding rawhide. Forty-four years of braiding rawhide, 16 years as curator for the Trappings of Texas and several trips to Argentina to learn and compare techniques have inspired Hensley’s unique braiding style. His passion for art, Western culture and the horse have driven him to make each braided piece show a higher skill level, and be recognizable from across the room as uniquely his own.