Art of the Buckle

Jim Arndt, Mary Emmerling

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781423632191
• Topic: Kunst
• Subtopic: Kunstgeschichte der Moderne

Emmerling and Arndt team up for their fifth book celebrating the art of things people love to collect. Here they bring us fabulous belt buckles from vintage collectibles, trophy buckles, beaded and bejeweled varieties, ranger sets, and classy contemporary designs, all celebrating the fascination with beautiful buckle art. Cowboys and Indians, arrows, horses and longhorns aplenty, sweet hearts, and plenty of other icons decorate these fashionable pieces. And it wouldn't be complete without a nod to the artists who created them.

Jim Arndt is the author of How to Be a Cowboy and coauthor with Mary Emmerling of Art of the Cross, Art of Turquoise, Art of the Skull and Art of the Heart. He coauthored several Cowboy Boot books. He lives in Santa Fe.

Mary Emmerling is the best-selling author of more than 25 books. She was the creative director of Country Home Magazine for ten years. She hosted HGTV's Country At Home show, worked as the decorating editor for House Beautiful, and was editor-in-chief of her own Mary Emmerling Country Magazine for the New York Times. She now lives in Santa Fe. She coauthored Art of the Heart, Art of the Skull, Art of the Cross and Art of Turquoise with Jim Arndt.

Contemporary High Style

Today’s artists push the boundaries of materials, processes and forms to create belt buckles as beautiful as any necklace pendant or chunky bracelet. Unique design, totally unexpected and unusual, is the hallmark of contemporary buckle art.

From delicate filigree on one hand, to organic swooshes executed in shiny silver, the creative limits seem unbounded. If butterflies are your thing, or fishing, horses, hearts, or arrows, there is no shortage of exquisite silverwork to appease your appetite for a unique piece of waistline jewelry.

These are buckles we would love to have in our wardrobes —wearable art. I can’t imagine not having dozens of buckles to choose from.

Inlaid butterfly with mammoth ivory, opals, and Carico Lake turquoise. (Lee Downey.)

A butterfly, turtle, and trout. What’s your favorite animal? (Mona Van Riper.)

(Barry Kisselstein.)

(James Reid.)

How about a sleek horse head, an owl, an elk, or even flamingos? (James Reid.)

(Lee Downey.)

(Barry Kisselstein.)

(Lee Downey.)

Creative techniques pushed by contemporary artisans. (James Reid.)

(Clint Orms.)

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