My Life I came to the Alaskan wilderness in 72 from a middle-class city upbringing. I made arrangements to get flown into the wilderness with no arrangements to get picked up. 8 months later I walked out, after not seeing anyone during the months of no light and 50 below. I learned to trap, build a cabin, and as time went by I ran sled dogs. I lived on a houseboat and did all the things anyone who loves the outdoors dreams about. There was leather to make, solar panels to install, guns to fix, outboard motors to rebuild. In general, I couldn't own anything I couldn't fix and didn't have tools for. This was a very exciting life for 25 years or so. I got used to the subsistence life of growing my own food, or hunting for it, relying on myself a lot, and not getting caught up in the rat race. My life is different from most. I've never had a drivers license, never paid rent, never had a credit card-checking account, nor had a bill. I lived (still do pretty much) a 'cash' life. Times changed, my life did, priorities changed, and I moved to the village of Nenana in 98. This was a village I had gone by and stopped at while living on the houseboat, and it seemed a good place to settle. I now have a shop, and for the first time, electricity, which has made it easier to do my art, work on my book, and enjoy my midlife. The lifestyle I lead gave me a lot of basic values required to do the work I do... with a different slant on life and different perspective on things, and think this gives me 'something to say' in my artwork that is 'different'. I try to sell a way of life.... one of closeness and appreciation for the land and our basic roots.

Not just art-- but a way of thinking

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Juneau Web

selling furs feathers teeth -- good source for animal products

Homepage

Many Alaska sites arranged in order

wildlife | lifestyle | links | knives

To create a link from my page to yours click on the sun

Artist Jeweler
Dealer in non animal related raw materials

View -- Denali in winter 50 miles from the nearest road

Stormbound Trapper A Cassette tape
This is a recorded story by Miles 1.5 hours long talking about winter in Alaska in the wilds. There are sound effects from the wild as I talk about 70 below 0 trapping running sled dogs, hunting moose getting lost and creating the mood of what it is like to be in the wild. $7

Miles Bio

Art over $250

Art- Flowers

Art- Birds

Art-- Animals

Art using - Gemstones

Selling animal products  was my passion for 45 years, and represented  95% of my business. But aparently  it is time to change, move on , focus on 'other things.' Legal issues with animal materials .... 'never mind' Will try selling my books, knife blades, stones, some art etc. Having to rework the web site.

'How To--Casting"

It is not easy to order from me . An odd thing to say. The reasons are many. Try reading about my lifestyle. Try reading the order page, stuff like 'cultural issues'. Keep in mind I'm a one man show. Keep in mind I spent 25 years alone in the wilderness seeing no one for months. What do you think sitting in front of a computer is doing to me? I'm not superman. Sometimes the river of humanity that arrives at my home through the internet each day is depressing and overwhelming. I need to say “Halt enough!” and stumble out the door for fresh air. Other times it is a great possitve rush.
Raw stuff -- So I wanted, and am good at running a huge flea market. Garage sale antique store. I am a collector. I like to sell and deal. Buy sell trade. But I do not like keeping track of stuff. So. So if you were 'here' you'd see 9 buildings filled with boxes of 'stuff'. (the raw materials). Like a yard filled by the tons of truckloads of things under tarps. You want to know about what? Ha ha and ha again! Dream on! You go find it. Have fun! Tell me if you find it! Filled with lost treasures and nooks and crannies like a treasure map. Stuff I have not seen since the 70's. Stuff with the prices still marked I paid in the 70's. No you got to pay more then that! But how much more? I have to think. I might pull a number out of the hat. See how it fits. I do not even own a suit and tie. Nothing is under bright lights with a sticker on it on a shelf. Yulk! You have arrived. You are not at an ordinary store. You are at the source , where 'raw' is defined as still wet covered in mud.  You have arrived at some place related to Star trek. You have met Indiana Jones. The man who can make it happen. For a price, I can find even the holy grail. You just have to make it worth my while. See 'problem' below
Art ! You like to look at the art? To me it is all self evident and needs no explanation, but so few 'understand' I need to spell it out. First money is not my God. I'm not between a rockand a hard place and never will be. Happiness and lack of stress is important. I could be busy fishing today. I'm the only one who does this kind of art. It sells. If you do not get it, someone else will, and no one else offers it. . I want it in the right hands. Next. I look at today and tomorrow. I do not turn around and study my past. Once finished I loose interest in the item. I forget. I make a new one. I quit counting 15 years ago when I got to 9,999 (one of a kind items)  Where the item is I made yesterday I do not care. I have a good 500 finished items on hand at any given time. Sort of organized, but it might be in a box for shows, or in the tray it belongs in, or on consignment at a shop, or in for repair, or maybe I forgot, sold it, or gave it away. Rats. Some items are easier to locate . Some items sell so well I do not need to spend an hour looking for it because it will sell to the first person who sees it..
Problem ! So the problem is this is a garage sale and antique store. Nothing is marked and it's in any one of 9 buildings. Not a problem if you find it and bring it to me and I look up and make up a number, and you are happy. But guess what! You find the picture, not the item itself and show me the picture or give me a description and want me to go find it! Ha! Under what tarp? Which building? What shelf in what building in what box? Guess what! If I ignore you I can work in the shop for $65 an hour. If I stop to go look for something for you, my income comes to a grinding halt because the customer is not paying no $65 an hour to chat and have me go look for stuff. As in “That's $10 plus the $65 lost time it took for me to go find it” Tell me all you want about how I need to be organized. Bla bla you are in the peanut gallery, in the bleachers, while I am in the ring with the bull. Step into the ring and I might listen. Even if you are in your own ring with your own bull and are my equal, it's a state of mind. It's not about inequality. Each snow flake is unique. . Some focus on that, and some focus on the storm comprised of all the flakes working together. Meanwhile yup I probably have what you want. That means squat if I cant find it. Worse, some customers talk me into looking, then say “Thanks , not what I'm looking for have a nice day” What's wrong with this picture?
Solution! So I have no real rules, no minimum order etc. We'll see. Depends. If I'm busy, feel like it, like you, what the weather is like, and my opinion on if this is worth my time or not. All those cool pictures not in the shop cart? Teasers? Oh no not really. It's my resume, my portfolio, my references. Due to the volume of 'stuff;' going on I get to do repairs for museums, art collection value estimates for insurance companies, sometimes special orders for the rich and famous. It gives people ideas for a special order. It gives me credibility that I know what I'm doing. It's not talk, behold it is before you to see for yourself. Big buyers see my work and know I can turn it out, and some fly here to Nenana to see me and buy it by the truckload. One customer comes up from Japan once a year. We do not price it or mess around, we make a pile and I look at the pile and I make up a number. I just want it 'gone' so I have room for new cool stuff. But gone to my kind of people. He knows my prices are fair and we do not argue. I got 50 pounds of turquoise, you think I want to measure photo weigh each dinky piece? The decimal point has to get moved twice for that. On my art I have shops who say “Send me stuff” I accept returns. It all sells. I'm reasonable, fair. My prices are good, even if I make up a price at the spur of the moment my highest quote is half the completion's. Why argue? I can make a new one faster and easier then I can keep track of the last one. So in the big picture I make a living. I'm not rich, but it's my way, by my rules, when and how I want. Maybe I'm stuck up? An ego thing? Yea maybe (hmmm) But it's also a symptom of social problems that has to do with why a guy raised in the city would tune in and drop out to live in poverty listening to wolves. Why do we have to think value is in numbers or why cant we just look at something without having to own it? Maybe you are in a museum. Stop, stare, look, pause and smile. Why are customers irritated? So hey cut and paste me a picture if it's not in the cart! Who knows? Lets talk.

My art
Since I was 5 years old I was known for my art. My metalwork style started out as a practical aspect of my life--of having to repair tools. A knife handle had to be made, gun stock fixed.. and this took time, with only primitive hand tools. I took pride in the work, and sometimes wanted to simply cover up the repair, so covered the repair, or designed the repair to look like 'something'-usually an animal. This was the beginning of my art-metal style, which I developed while alone in the wilderness . My first works were crude, and made of bullet brass, shovel steel, copper wire, but was the start of the 'mixed metals' concept.  Eventually it lead to 'artwork' just for art sake, which I would trade for gas and supplies in the villages I passed through. I still do a lot of trading. For 25 years everything was totally by hand without any electricity, done by kerosene light. Now I still do the major cutting of designs with hand jewelers saw, but the finish work is done with hand electric polishers. This helps on the tedious part. I use silver, copper, brass, bronze, gold.. and any other metal that looks interesting. I tend to specialize in birds and flowers, and do mostly necklaces. I combine the metals with 'things from the land'  anything  that might come from nature. I am always trying new things. I have recently been carving gemstones, which is challenging, and makes the work interesting- and got interested in 'casting' - to make my own custom caps on crystals, amber, opal etc.. I now also make my own blades for my knives, doing my own tempering.

AlaskaKreations

Custom cast guards

Remember no more animal materials!

Words about prices

Past stone art

Past knives

Art under $50

Art under $250

Alaskan art only

Knives

Custom Knives

Info on overseas, shipping methods etc

Why no more animal stuff?

Irene and I at the Tanana Alaska state fair

Cast metals art

wood

For knife handles, lathe work, pens, crafts custom select

Ideas for special orders or gallery viewing

If you are buying to resell

Replica teeth claw art

Past knives

Main raw directory

Or choose a raw page below

Knife making materials

Pay Pal is my preferred way to get paid and works well. You will see shopping cart icons to click on. You can contact me to pay by check or money order . Keep in mind pay pal allows you to make payments, ‘buy now pay later’ with credit