Jim Wilkes

The People

Jim Wilkes

← People of the Society · on record 2000–2025

This is the Society’s own record of Jim Wilkes. A biography: Leather 2013 · In Their Own Words →

The Society’s records

Everything the Society’s own records say of Jim Wilkes: the offices held, the standings conferred, and the awards won. Where the records are silent, so is this part of the page.

Also recorded as James Wilkes, Jim Wilks, Jimmy Wilkes

Branch

Mississauga · member since 2000

Certification

Honorary Fellow of the CSCL 2024

He was one of the nine members whose work was shown in Leather 2013: Creative Versatility at the Woodstock Art Gallery, 12 January to 2 March 2013, each writing about their own pieces in the exhibition’s own pages. His Bible cover, shown in the May–August 2021 newsletter, won a Craftsman Ribbon and the Woodstock Heritage Award in 2022.

From Fall 2016; May–August 2021, page 8; Leather 2013, Creative Versatility: the exhibition brochure, with the exhibitors’ statements; Fellows’ meeting report, 11 May 2022, page 1; and Minutes, 74th Annual Meeting, 4 May 2024, page 3.

Served the Society as

President 2016–2018
Past President 2018–2023
1st Vice-President 2014–2025
Workshops 2018–2025
Director 2008–2012
Mississauga Branch President 2014–2025
Mississauga Branch Secretary 2010–2011

Honours

Honorary Fellowship 2024
Presented by Sean Dalgetty, President of the CSCL, at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Lindsay, Ontario.
Medal of Appreciation 2019
Awarded by the International Internet Leathercrafters' Guild, Inc. (IILG.net) for his services to the guild; a member since 1998/99.

Awards

Allan Foss Workshop Award 2025
Best General Member Piece 2024
Craftsman Ribbon 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2024
Participation Ribbon 2009
Past President Pin 2019
Woodstock Heritage Award 2022

Work shown in competition

Demonstrations given

Skiving Techniques (demonstration) 2008
58th Annual
From Spring 2008, page 3.
An account of the IFOLG show at Oklahoma City and of Jim Linnell's workshop at Venus, Texas 2014
Mississauga Branch meeting, November 2014
From 66th Annual Meeting: Reports, page 6.
Demonstrating leathercraft, showing members' work from the Mississauga Guild 2018
Burlington Applefest, September 2018
From 69th Annual Meeting: Reports, page 12.
Making a Leather Feather (Friday night workshop) 2018
68th Annual
From Spring 2018, page 4.
His prize-winning Bible cover: a carving designed for a repeat customer, in 3–4 oz vegetable-tanned leather, with a calf lining and a double-loop laced edge in kangaroo 2022
Executive Meeting, 28 October 2022
From Executive meeting minutes, 28 October 2022, page 1.

Where this comes from

Life and work

In Jim Wilkes's own words, from the artist statement and biography he supplied as an exhibitor in the Society's Leather 2013 exhibition.

Background: He started doing leather craft in 1994, and liked doing belts, wallets and purses, as well as learning new techniques.
Study: His inspiration came from books he got from Japan, and from travelling to IFOLG shows in the United States and taking workshops with master leathercraft people there. Another inspiration was looking at all the projects in the competition room and judging them with other leathercraft people from around the world, and getting their opinions; he found these shows good places for meeting and talking about leather with people from around the world. He wrote that he was still learning new techniques and how to think outside the box.

From the biography “Leather 2013 · In Their Own Words”.

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