‘Trappings of Texas’ spotlights local silversmith

By Marc Robertson - Editor | September 11, 2024

La Salle County artist and jeweler Wayne Franklin does not advertise, does not have a social media presence and does not have a shop.

Yet the Cotulla silversmith is renowned across the state and beyond for his detailed custom work. His pistol grips, belt buckles and accessories are recognized by those who know, and they are legion.

Franklin has long been commissioned as the artist to design and make the buckles and pistol grips used by the Texas Rangers, and his work has also been displayed in their museum.

This weekend, however, the spotlight is shone by the Museum of the Big Bend in the 38^th annual ‘Trappings of Texas,’ and the headlining piece is the trophy style buckle named “A Swing and a Miss,” featuring pair of cowboys roping cattle in the South Texas Brush Country.

‘Trappings of Texas’ is considered the oldest exhibit and sale of contemporary Western art and cowboy gear, according to the organization, and the current show runs through October 26. The museum uses the show to advance an understanding of the state’s characteristics, an appreciation of its idiosyncrasies, its culture and the artwork that helps depict everyday and Texas-typical moments. Of special importance to event organizers is the educational value of the artwork in helping promote an understanding of Texas culture among all ages, especially the young.

Franklin shies from garish publicity but perseveres in the finely detailed work that continues earning him the respect and admiration of working cowboys, trophy winners who wear his buckles, law enforcement officers whose equipment is adorned with the unique designs, and collectors who view the artist’s pieces as emblematic of the classic and enduring Texas style.

Franklin was born and raised in Fowlerton, 30 miles east of Cotulla, and spent a 35-year career as the art instructor at Cotulla High School while pursuing the silversmithing pastime that earned him his wider renown. He and his wife Louisa have raised sons Roy and Keith, and now have what he describes as “a whole truckload of grandkids.”

“My family is my finest accomplishment,” Wayne says, ever humble, in the museum’s announcement that he will be the featured Premier Artist this year.

Franklin has taken part in the ‘Trappings of Texas’ exhibit for decades and has been a professional jeweler, silver and goldsmith for over fifty years. Thirty years ago, he began producing the custom-designed grips for the iconic Colt 1911-style classic handgun favored by law enforcement officers of an earlier generation and today, and several of his pieces are now on permanent display at the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco.

Although essentially commissioned by individual customers, Franklin’s designs are inspired by his life in South Texas. Cowboys and rodeos, livestock and the plants that abound in the open Brush Country feature prominently in his work, and it is these elements that continue drawing clients to the self-made artist.

Franklin sees his pieces as working art, in that they are fine art with a function, and each piece helps tell a story unique to its eventual owner. Rather than leave the final execution to a casting shop, Franklin carries out the entire process for each piece himself, from initial design to sculpting and casting, ensuring that every customer knows the finished product is wholly a Franklin.

“I have never advertised my work,” he says in an interview for the museum. “Any popularity that I may have attained over the years is due to my customers by word of mouth. They are my best advertisement.”

The artist understands that respect and recognition may be quiet but far reaching, and he appreciates the acknowledgment.

“When someone tells me that they were approached by a stranger while boarding a plane in Dallas, or at a business meeting in Houston, and even in a grocery store somewhere in far West Texas, and were told ‘That’s a Wayne Franklin buckle you’re wearing, isn’t it?’” Franklin laughs, “that’s really gratifying.”

The custom style of a skilled artisan cannot be replicated, and in Franklin’s case the details of South Texas life that can be spotted throughout his work and the dedication he puts into personally crafting each piece have earned him the knowing nod and the admiration of those who understand the nature of working art, and it is these attributes that have elevated him and earned him the ‘Trappings of Texas’ accolades that he receives this year.