from a
rugged place
COLIN WINTZ grew up in the Northwestern state of Idaho, a Rocky Mountain state known for its rugged & natural landscape. The Pacific Northwest has also been known to be a decades old hub for boot makers. Independent boot making shops, such as White's Boots, Frank's Boots & Nick's Boots continue to thrive in this wilderness state - where a pair of long lasting, quality leather boots feels like a necessity. The cobbling culture that exists in Wintz's hometown has been & continues to be an inspiration for own work.
Collecting influences from the northwestern states to to rockies of Canada
our
story
Colin Wintz (he/him) is a mixed media artist, costume breakdown artist, and bootmaker based in Calgary, Alberta. He starting producing wearable art by screen printing Mardi Gras imagery on period costumes and later studied pattern drafting and costume construction at Idaho State University in order to improve his knowledge of costume construction. His passion for combining costume construction and visual art developed into to professional work in theatre and film. Later this would provide a unique opportunity to learn shoemaking during a practicum at the Banff Centre in 2019.
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The pandemic brought a halt to theatre and film work but provided a chance to direct his attention to this new skill. Using his hands was one thing that felt supremely natural and so he wandered down a serpentine pathway which brought him to cowboy bootmaking after learning from master bootmaker D.W. Frommer in Oregon in 2021. Bootmaking became an all-consuming task as it merged an endlessly complex form with an innovative and expressive canvas. Colin developed a workshop in Calgary upon returning from Oregon where he has begun to make custom boots for clients and arts entertainment.
