Internationally renowned artisan Weldon E. Lister Jr. of Boerne, Texas straddles two distinctively different genres of art; the time honed art of firearm/ knife and jewelry engraving and the fine art realm of printmaking.  Lister is recognized as one of the top 44 living engravers by C. Roger Bleile in American Engravers – The 21st Century.  A third generation engraver, Weldon has been spotlighted in publications ranging from Texas Monthly to Gun Digest. His engravings on timeless firearms have gained him an expected notoriety.  Using techniques ranging from hammer and chisel to Lost Wax castings, Lister’s signature aesthetic borders on ultra-baroque; mixing in concise art deco embellishments.  Lister is a member of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America and the American Pistolsmiths Guild.  

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Esteemed notables include a beginning apprenticeship at the age of 17, having studied in the Grand Masters engraving program in Kansas, having been awarded the prestigious Howard Dove Award, and designed work for President George W. Bush. Archived catalog auction results reveal some of Lister’s guns have auctioned around $35,000.  Select engraved bracelets and jewelry available through the artist’s studio in Boerne are valued at $4,500. However, now Lister is creating limited edition intaglio prints of metal engraved printer’s plates. Images of hand engraved firearms are available in sets of 50. Each plate showcases the talent that would be reserved for real firearms, but as the artist expands his horizons, client bases and techniques, new mediums are explored to reach a new visual aesthetic.  The intaglio plates are engraved with the same precision as the guns, knives, and jewelry but have the ability to be cherished by several collectors- not just one.

Weldon Lister officially began his firearms engraving apprenticeship in 1979 at the age of 17 studying with his father Master Engraver W.E. "Big Bill" Lister.  Additionally, Weldon has studied the art of engraving with both Philippe Griffnee and Winston Churchill. A FEGA certified Master Engraver, Weldon uses the "old school" hammer & chisel method and is well versed in traditional engraving styles including American/ Nimschke, Black Forest deep relief, fine German and English scrolls and his own version of multi-dimensional deep relief oak leaf & acorn.