 |  Jim "Nanook" Hutto - Blacksmith - Anchorage, Alaska |  |
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 I can remember wanting to be a blacksmith since I was 10 yrs old. When I first told my wife in the early 80’s, of my life-long dream her comment was "You want to do what?”. The Lord opened the doors in 88’, when I was able to attend Frank Turley’s Blacksmithing School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. With Frank’s strong knowledge of blacksmithing & a gift for teaching, students came from all over the world to learn from him! After taking a step out in faith to try my life-long dream, little did I know the plans the Lord had for my future. On our way back to Alaska, an even bigger blacksmithing door was about to open up in WA. Frank had told me of Master Smith’s throughout the country including Darryl Nelson south of Seattle. Darryl owns Meridian Forge (Fire Mt Forge) near Eatonville, WA. I was able to work & study under Darryl for almost 2 years. My first paycheck, after 2 weeks of smithing, was $227.45. Amazing how you cannot put a dollar amount on your dream! Darryl was also the restoration smith for Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, OR. Not many “smith want-to-be’s” get an amazing opportunity to work with a skilled smith like Darryl Nelson on Cascadian Architectural Restoration. Along with forging, he taught me the do's & dont's of marketing ironwork. Darryl was recently honored with the Alex Bealer Award for lifetime achievements & contributions to blacksmithing. Every time I light my forge, I know it is Nelson & Turley who gave me a strong foundation in all facets of my blacksmithing. I am very proud of my sons, who at an early age started learning this craft too. The Lord shows me much about life through smithing. We may start out in life all beat up, pitted, rusted, bent & ugly. We may get pounded on day after day, from every direction & thrown into the fire constantly when we least expect it. Maybe there is not a positive thing on the horizon anywhere...then all of a sudden we realize, this once misfit person is undergoing an amazing transformation. Through the heating & pounding of day to day life, we begin to realize our actions & thought patterns are not what they once were. The experiences we endure are constantly shaping us for the next phase of our lives. I am realizing, I need to listen to God constantly in order to follow His guidance & direction. I trust the Lord with all my heart and work daily to stay on His path to eternity and forge iron in His Mighty Name! "He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands & his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, his head & his heart is an artist." - St.Francis of Assisi Current member of ABANA (Artist-Blacksmithing Association of North America) |
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| To place an order and talk to the artist, call Jim Hutto at 907-244-5414 |
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