FAIRBANKS, Alaska - If you want an in-depth look at our local community’s crafting and farming talents, the Farmers’ Market is a great place to start.
“These are standard birch rounds that I cut and dried,” explained Scott Houghton, the artist behind 30-Below Woodworks, patting the seat of an ornate wooden stool in front of him. “And then I put them in a plastic bad for two months and they became spaulted like this, to get the color. They’re a real challenge because a lot of them crack, like a third of them crack too bad.”
Houghton works by hand to peel the bark from dried birch and aspen poles with a drawknife, an old-fashioned technique that still serves well. He then uses the wood to craft the ornate boxes and “twisty” furniture for which he is known, often engraving and painting them as well.