My lifestyle, art, and myself, are hard to separate. Each helps define the others. Seeing pictures from my life helps show what my art is about. I use the medium of 'art' to tell stories from the land. These are the pictures that go with the art. I also use the written word. I'm working on 3 books 'Going Wild' ' Gone Wild' and 'Beyond Wild'. I hope you enjoy these pictures and share my love of the land! I hope the pictures load fast enough!
Life on the houseboat. In 75 or so I built a houseboat. I lived on it as my only home for 5 years. I traveled all summer, and holed up for winter. Sometimes I didn't even know where I was till I floated to the nearest village in spring. I trapped all winter and came to town with my furs after the ice went out. Her I am in the hot slough out of Manley Hot springs, pulled over and getting ready for winter. The boat got dry-docked. I put poles out to hold a tarp so have myself some extra room to store things I didn't want buried in the snow. I have a little run about boat to save on gas that I drug along. Many of my supplies are out on the ground. I'm sorting and weighing and figuring if I have enough. Time to look for my winter moose! I saw many things out my window and in my travels, much of which becomes my art work and will be in my book. I met a lot fo people in the wilderness over the years and some supply me now with raw material I offer you.
This is the same view a few months later in the deep dark cold of winter The snow gets banked up against the hull of the boat to help keep it warm. I use a snow machine here. I gave that up and got a dog team a year later.
After I got the cabin built I started trapping seriously. Here I am with a wolverine. There were few ways to pay for beans and boat gas living out remote. In 20 years I had only a dozen visitors find my place. It is a vast and wild place. My art hadn't caught on yet so I trapped as a way of life. Many of the materials you see in my art come as a byproduct of trapping - knowing trappers and finding things in the woods. Teeth claws horn antler are more common to me then emeralds-- and maybe more rare in the world. Certainly I work with what i can get hold of!
The ice runs on the Kantishna River. When this happens boating season ends. This is early October and the river will not open again till the following may, 7 months later.
Scenes like this inspire me in my jewelry making. I have lived where the moose does enough I understand their habits and positions, which helps me a lot in my artwork
Mammoth Ivory Tusk. (click on 'mammoth' to go to my raw materials for sale) In my wilderness travels I learned where to find the 40,000 year old burial grounds of ancient animals. The ground has been frozen for all those years and creeks cut into the frozen ground exposing prehistoric bison, camel, 300 pound beaver, and this 10 foot 200 pound tusk. In the picture is the saw and ax I used to unbury the rest of it. I use this material in my artwork.
Artist Miles Martin from Nenana Alaska biography through pictures from homestead wildlife
I became a wilderness land surveyor- here I'm helping survey a new road between Manley Hot springs and Rampart - a historical gold rush trail. Rick my boss and I have surveyed more homesteads in Alaska then anyone else in the history of the state. Over the years this helped give me access to the remote people who supply me with interesting raw materials from the land.
Grizzly track
next to my foot print.Taken while out wilderness land surveying- in country where there are more bears then people.
One of my favorite fishing spots and places to get away to- only half an hour from my home in Nenana. There are hundreds- thousands of miles of river creeks ponds and lakes like this without names. While at places like this I get ideas for my art and find raw materials. I see otter at play- fish jumping- moose feeding- or the not so romantic side- storms- or once a bear killing a moose calf in the water. I once rescued a stranded moose Hunter near hear who would have died if I hadn't come along- who told me how easy it was to get here..right up till his boat ran up on a sandbar. Life is easy and beautiful right up until it is not. It takes skill and knowledge to be in a place like this- just to get the boat here-but the reward is here in the picture. As you can see I love the land I live in very much.
Miles at Miles of Alaska
box 363
Nenana Alaska
99760
1-907-832-5442 miles@milesofalaska.net
Me in front of my shop - more for manufacture then tourist visits (smile)
Click on these thumbnails for more.
click here to go to my site directory with links to all my pages. Art - raw materials for sale- book- advice- tips-ordering- info- home page etc
Miles at Miles of Alaska
box 363
Nenana Alaska
99760
1-907-832-5442 miles@milesofalaska.net
Life on the houseboat was a long time ago in the 70's. This is the houseboat dry docked in 2004 with me next to it.
Me in 2004. There are those who feel I am not all there. Certainly I feel I am on the light end of the teeter totter while the heavy end with the mass of humanity on it slides off the cliff like lemming. (I'm level! It is the rest of the world on a tilt!) Probobly I have issues. I shrug my shouders and smile proudly, for if I am a bit eccentric what does it matter? I hold a neckalce I made that probobly not 10 people in the world would be capable of making.
Right--Me selling my Alaska art and materials at the Fossil gem show in Tucson Ariozona. This is the biggest show of it's kind in the world. The size of the vendor list is as large as the Fairbanks Alaska phone book . And My Mom lives there I get to see her and it is tax time so I bring my laptop computer and sit under the palm trees doing those awful taxes!
Below are some updates for 2005. I no longer live the wilderness life I once did. I'm 55 now and not wore out but just interested in doing more of my art-and exploring new things. The old life I lived is more for the young. I can no longer carry cabin logs on my shoulders, and it is no longer fun to yank a stuck boat off a sandbar. I enjoy having enough money to own a boat and motor that actually runs without breaking down. Now I know a lot of people and these contacts bring me interesting Alaska materials from crystals to moose horns and ivory. I can stay home and do my art - deal in the materials and still go out to fish and hunt and play. I enjoy life in a different way now. I enjoy helping others and supplying materials giving advice and being part of my community. I am head of our Chamber of Commerce- on the library board the historical society board and help at the school with the kids sometimes. Here are some pictures below
Left--hauling the boat out of the water Oct of 05. It only goes out and in once a year so have a rickey old set up to do that with--my wood hauling caret is tied to my trailer so it is long enough This is in front of my house. I'm getting ready to run the garden hose over to wash out all the summers fish slime and river silt.
Above. My son comes to visit from California ands we find a mammoth tusk together. left it is in the boat- right he is chipping at the frozen mud to get it loose - boat is tied to it by his knee.
The ivory and large chunks from the tusk are for sale --go to my new materials site --later on will add to my raw materials page (If I forget to come back here in a few months go check the raw materials page)
Huh??? Oh on the right is a picture of a duck dinner ready to go in the oven with my garden stuff all around it. I grow my own spices even
Above and right--- my main Kantishna river homestead burned in a forest fire in 04 and I lost my trapline line cabins and everything I owned out there. Here is the small frame trap cabin I put up after the fire and right is the property with fire smoke still around
Have a greenhouse and here are some tomatoes from that and the herbs are about ready to eat even before the snow is gone!
Right. I got a grey beard now but still get out to cut fire wood hunt moose and such things here is my Yamaha Viking 540 decked out with all the survival gear to head out over 100 miles
Left--me set up at a local bluegrass festival in August of 05.
right--my Internet biz keeps me on the computer 7 hours a day. Here my computer is surrounded by plants to remind me of the great outdoors. I hear plants make oxygen--sure need some of that while dealing with customers!
Left here I am cutting up my yearly moose in the kitchen. Well my cabin only has 2 rooms so it is the living room as well. The ceiling here is hand whipsawed lumber from the 1800's off a steam boat hull.
left my front gate and fence --fence made of drift wood to remind of me the river life. In summer this is covered in raspberries and hanging baskets of flowers.
Right one of my favorite fishing spots
Left--the river in winter near Nenana
I take a lot of flower pictures--the above are from my yard
Lynx from the Kantishna river in 2006 My claws come from my own trapping byproduct from Native trappers in my village.
Right --I come across antiques and odd stories told in teh forest. This boat is far inland with trees all around and gowing in the boat that was run by steam. How did it get here? I assume fomr the gold rush days
Left moose show up anywhere and can be curious
This owl lives in my yard and allows me to get close
The 50 mile trail to the homestead and trapline
Left--An Alaska ice phone booth
Right-- baby warbler in the yard
It's possible to run into bears while fishing
Left picture from my Siberian friend Igor with his son. Igor builds these mammoth for display and gets me some of my rare fossils
Many people are concerned about where I get my animal products and how they were handled, believing they should be handled with respect and do not wish to support disrespect of the animals or land. Even though I am a hunter gatherer I try to respect the animals and many of my products are a by product of another aspect of the animals death, such as from a food source or killing in defence of life or property . These pictures help tell that story so you can know it to be true and not made up
Right. In 2004 my homesteasd of 25 years burnned in a forest fire. This is the replacement cabin
Right baby moose and Moma tracks - baby only days old
Left. My 'winter moose' for food is harvested under a full moose (see the moon in picture) Hide goes to a drum maker, half the meat given out to elders in my village. Bones go to knife makers the hoofs are made into art.
Me in 1973 when I lived in this boat on the Yukon River
Above--- Fishing on the Tanana River 2007
Above. As a wilderness land surveyor part time in summer we specialize in homesteads and native land claims. This requires living in tents - cooking over open fires and pretty much getting paid to go camping. My boss and I have surveyed over 300 homesteads, more then any other surveyors in the history of the state. I get to rent my boat out and my friend, the boss Rick from Manley Land Surveyors has a private float plane we use
I
like to dance! Here at a local Nenana blugrass gathering in 2007
Below, this bird moves in with me during a big art show and lived in the tent for 3 days. Weird huh?
2007 finding a mammoth tooth and tusk
My occupations a blend between pleasure and work, and combines al my interests. I ask what I like to do, then find a money angle. I grow a garden run a small greenhouse, the bones are composted for art that also helps the plants. I love boating so use the boat for survey work, finding ivory and gathering food. I trap furs and get teeth and claws for art.
Left, with one of my favorite customers from Japan - who meets up with me each year in Tucson for special items.
In Nome Alaska catching King crab with a friend. I was in Nome Feb of 08 to sell my art at the end of the Iditarod dog sled race and track down a source for fossil walrus ivory.
Left on the river looking for mammoth tusks 2008
Right my 89 year old
mother and her 90 year old boyfriend who I stay with while doing the Tucson Arizona fossil show. I'm usually there Valentines day.
Above Nenana flooded in August of 08 Left I canoe through my front door right my boat sinks. Huh? Oh, just another chapter in my book. No reason to dial 911 or accept the notion I am a victim.
Right. You want to know where the cool bones and claws come from? Think it might be romantic? Here is a sled load of wolf and lynx carcasses I bought from a local trapper. It's pretty exciting when it thaws in the spring. (smile) I have maggot stories that rival grizzly stories. Want to be my neighbor?
Left. I am a lands surveyor and the boss and I get aorund in his float plane
Below homestead survey crew, me and friends me far right on Kantishana River near Bearpaw staking area. This was a 3 week job.
Left at Tanana state fair. Notre the rainbow. 'Art at the end of the rainbow'
I don't drive so this is how my 'goods' get around. This is a load of materials I packed and shipped to myself in Tucson, hauled from the post office by snow machine in a sled.
Spring of 09. I'm getting older, not getting out as much as I once did but 'still;;' I was on the Kantishna hauling supplies to the homestead cabin and ran into 'bear problems' Having another adventure.
In the summer I work with a friend who is a wilderness land surveyor and we go out in his private plane to survey homesteads, native land claims and remote village work. This involves camping out in the wild for up to 2 weeks at a time. This job gives me access to some of my raw materials and making the contacts with the Indians I need to get other materials I don't find myself.
Left in 2009 I find this 9 ft 140 pound tusk on one of my fossil expeditions
Right the tusk fund above is 'home' and cleaned up. Bands are to help stop it from cracking as it thaws and dries out after being frozen 40,000 years.
Left while fossil hunting I live off the land eating fish like this pike I got at rock creek where I stop to transfer gas and take a break
Right my girlfriend Irene- forst snowof the year in Oct 09
Left the pirate flag i fly from my fence
For excerpts and ordering book 2
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Feb 2010 Getting mail from the post office using the snow machine. This is how your product comes in and out from my home
2010 At the Tucson fossil show.. My Russian friend and mammoth ivory dealer Igor made this mammoth from Yak fur
