Jay and Lyn Ocken met in college where both competed on the Ball State equestrian team. They soon fell in love and got married.
Jay teaches machine shop and Lyn teaches art. But, it wasn’t until about 2003 that they started toying with the idea of making their own pieces of equipment for their horses. The duo applied for, and received, a Lilly grant from the Lilly Foundation and soon left for Canada and Texas to learn their respective arts.
Jay is the metalsmith, using a welder or jeweler’s saw to shape and meld the pieces together. Lyn, using her own designs, or those supplied by the customer, steadily engraves the pieces with what is equivalent to a miniature jackhammer.
Jay is the metalsmith, using a welder or jeweler’s saw to shape and meld the pieces together. Lyn, using her own designs, or those supplied by the customer, steadily engraves the pieces with what is equivalent to a miniature jackhammer.
Together, they form Ocken Bit and Spur Makers, making handmade custom cowboy gear. Some of their pieces can take over 40 hours to shape and are created for customers from as far away as New Zealand.
But in the end, it’s their love affair with horses that gives them the inspiration to continue crafting and sharing their one-of-a-kind pieces with other horse lovers.
(This is from a story for My Indiana Home)
No comments:
Post a Comment