Dan Groussman has been crafting his leather designs since 1992. His style has evolved from a philosophy rooted in the act of making a given work rather than a focus merely on the physical existence of the finished work. When creating, he is drawn towards the organization of components and the orchestration of tasks necessary to execute a given project. The rhythmic mechanics are his art form. The method he engages employs a meditative repetition - multiple small steps making up a larger whole. The resulting leather craft coming from his studio embodies a natural, labor-oriented aesthetic characteristic of a time that many people today still revere but also mock for being "too behind the times" or "too labor intensive." Groussman only stitches by hand, never by machine. He has remained loyal to a hand-assembly technique when building his art, believing that the best way to construct an item is to do it with pace, deliberation, and love - the way things that we now treasure as antiques were once originally made. He believes that when it's done right the first time, with the best ingredients, with love and skill, that these factors will continue to live on in the created object, often far beyond the life of the crafter.
Groussman first developed his artistic endeavors as a child, dismantling old adding machines and typewriters to harvest their interesting springs and levers for use in new creations. As he grew up, his father's workshop became his primary domain, his mother often brought his dinners into the garage for him to peck at as he tinkered away the evening hours at the workbench.
He first began crafting leather while attending the University of Utah where his studies of sculpture, design and architecture eventually led to his earning a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Design degree in 1993. Drawn towards further studies of geometry, proportion and the formal study of architecture, he began traveling regularly to Europe and the Middle East to sketch the many bridges, cathedrals and mosques he encountered. His love of travel has most recently led to annual trips to Southeast Asia where he has researched traditional weavings, carvings and other labor-oriented craft works related to his act of making philosophy.
Groussman earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Wood Design from Central Washington University in 2006. He has served on several boards and commissions including as an longtime arts commissioner for the City of Port Townsend, He taught art courses in college and high school for 6 years, where he also led several student travel expeditions in both wilderness and overseas metropolitan settings. His love of travel and of travel in Southeast Asia in particular has led to two other businesses that Dan and Melissa tend to: Ruby Threads Clothiers and Sure Flaneur Travel.
Groussman has served on several art-entity boards and commissions in his community including as a long-time Arts Commissioner for the City of Port Townsend, where Groussman currently lives and works. He shares his days with his wife Melissa, their daughter Ruby, and their dozen-or-so flock of chickens - in the cabin and studio they built together amongst the tall trees.