– Living and Working in the Shadows of the Old West is Daniel E. Miller. –
As a cowboy in rugged Wyoming, artisan Daniel Miller has lived and worked close to the land for most of his life. This lifestyle has given him the unique opportunity to experience the wonders of nature’s physical and spiritual offerings. Through years as an outfitter and professional guide, and with his background as a design engineer, Miller was able to share these unique experiences with his clients, leading to his continued ability to communicate with his current customers and provide them with the pice of art they desire.
With horses being central to his life and learning experiences, Mr. Miller’s architectural leather creations bring the spirit and passion of the Old West to homes and offices of distinction.
He feels that communication with horses and people is much the same. His goal is to reflect their inner souls and personalities into his final product.
Miller says “When I see an old saddle, I mishit could speak to me and share it’s story. It is the same with each piece of leather that I work on. I try to begin to build a story within and hopefully that story will continue whoever the final piece ends up. A story of it’s maker and the story of it’s keeper.”
A Testimonial:
“Dan Miller’s work combines the experience of several lifetimes. When his early success an an engineer and pilot failed to feed his spirit, Dan followed his dream to the high mountains and open skies of Wyoming. He literally apprenticed himself to a Bighorn Basin rancher to discover and master the working life of a cowboy, complete with the dusty roundups, damned fence building duties and clear mountain mornings. One of those mornings, over a steaming cup of campfire coffee, Dan realized the “hole in his sole” had finally been filled.
Since that magic morning, Dan has made his living as he could, generally astride a good horse. He was sometimes a working cowboy, later a hunting outfitter and occasionally on lonely contracts to clear wilderness trails. Unable to suppress his drive to design and create, Dan eventually put his hand to working leather, the one material that inseparably yokes modern cowboys to their forefathers. Cowboys are connected to leather from the reins in their hands, to the boots on their feet and in between, the saddles where they plant their butts.
I write this description of Dan Miller as an old friend, jealous of his determination to leave an old life behind and follow his dream, despite the back-breaking work and occasional empty wallet. Few of us ever se the reality of our dreams. We allow life to get in the way.
I can see Dan Miller’s life in his handiwork; the precision of his first life married to the romance and inner peace of his current life. Knowing him, I can admire the crisp perfection of the hand tooled leather. And when I close my eyes, the raw, natural smell of the leather energizes my memories of the snowy peaks and lush mountain meadow he has shown me. Dan’s leather creations are as authentic as the hands that build them.”
– A Loyal Friend