CARVING OUT A NICHE

Carving Out a Niche

How artist Johnny Dowell made a name for himself as the world’s pre-eminent engraver of Leica cameras.

His work is the kind that you instantly recognise on sight, not simply because it’s technically impressive, but because there really isn’t anything else like it. Johnny Dowell, better known as Kingnerd, is a metal engraver, a trade he learned in the gunsmith industry. He spent 15 years engraving standard “house” patterns into high-end shotguns, knowing from early on that it wasn’t his true calling. Since he left, he’s turned his eyes to everything from coins to watches and even parts of vintage cars. Truly though, his signature work has to be Leica cameras.

The first began as a commission for the photographer Gavin Bond, which ended up featuring in its own article in GQ magazine. From there things snowballed dramatically. Commissions came in from all over, eventually from Leica themselves, for whom he engraved two cameras that each sold at auction for more than ten times their original retail value.

More recently, he finally completed his “Dragon & Cherry Blossom” cameras for Leica Asia, a project that consisted of 10 silver cameras and 10 black cameras, all engraved over a total period of 5 months. The silver cameras each carry the same “Cherry Blossom” design, while the black ones feature the “Dragon” pattern. These represent the only engravings that he’s ever repeated, the remainder of his works are entirely distinct from one another.

The latest he produced was a one-off, again for Leica themselves. It was commissioned for the company’s 100th anniversary celebrations, which take place this year. The artwork on the camera depicts some of the architecture at Leitz Park, where the company’s headquarters are located. Apparently they haven’t yet decided whether this one will go to auction or if it’ll remain in their own museum, a dilemma that isn’t hard to empathise with.

According to Dowell, one camera takes anywhere between 100 and 200 hours to engrave and there are no shortcuts.

According to Dowell, one camera takes anywhere between 100 and 200 hours to engrave and there are no shortcuts; until someone else is willing to put in the time he has, Johnny himself will remain a one-off, much like the cameras we’ll go on to admire for many years to come.