About Us

Growing up riding and showing horses in Southern California I have always loved all things Western. After college I moved to the forgotten corner of California, Modoc County, "Where the West Still Lives" and married into a ranching family. I have been blessed to have a husband who supports and encourages my love of creating western art.

My formal training was as a bootmaker, having studied with two of the countries finest craftsmen, D.W. Frommer II and Lisa Sorrell. Both are nationally recognized for their fine craftsmanship and their exquisite inlay/overlay work. Fine leather inlay/overlay work is a dying art. When done properly, it requires a great deal of skill and attention to detail, and is extremely time consuming. Each piece of leather requires beveling and skiving (shaving the flesh side of the hide off with a very sharp knife), to insure that the finished images flow seamlessly from color to color without interruption, much like fine joinery work, devoid of crude seams or gutters.

I have been a bootmaker for the past five years and find that the most rewarding aspect of the craft is the inlay/overlay work. With this in mind, I have shifted directions in my business, to focus on creating western leather inlay/overlay works of art for the home.

Valerie heading & Luke Neubert heeling at the Coe Branding on the Island Ranch (photo D.B. Smith )

To contact us:
Valerie Coe - Leather Artisan
P.O. Box 1674
6325 County Road 58 (physical address)
Alturas, CA 96101
Phone: 530-233-2564
E-mail: valerie@cowgirlbootmaker.com                                   Home | About Us | Ranch House Collection | Boots