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Tanija and Graham Carr are currently working entirely in leather, but this has not always been the case and may not be the material they choose in the future. Both artists studied to become architects and this training remains a key influence in their work. The patterning is extremely intricate, very ordered, and repetitive. It reflects their architectural background with its attention to detail, precision and a sense of things fitting together.

After receiving her degree in 1972 , Tanija found it difficult to obtain work as a female architect in Australia and she and Graham traveled to the UK. They worked in London for three years, where Tanija was lucky enough to work at the London Zoo, but the administrative tasks soon began to dominate the creative output. In 1976 they decided to take a year off and nurture their creativity—and they never returned to architecture.

Graham completed a diploma in Advanced Ceramics at Perth Technical College in 1978, the same year that Tanija finished a diploma in Art Education at Edith Cowan University. In 1980 they held their first joint exhibition, titled “Leather and Clay”, at the Fremantle Arts Centre, in which they contrasted the hard, crisp edge of clay with the malleability and softness of leather. Recently, Graham relinquished ceramics and the two now work together on the large leather pieces illustrated here.