miles down the road where a local farmer takes boards off his barn for him. Then he turns the reclaimed wood into a bed. Or, he might poke around a farmstead junk pile that the landowner gives him access to. He’ll find railroad spikes to make into dresser drawer pulls, or barn door hinges to use as ornamental iron. “(The farmer) has his own
“Being able to recognize a piece of wood in the wild that has the potential to become something of interest is a talent that has taken several years to refine” – Chris Pemberton
sawmill, so he’ll actually take boards off his barn for me and then just cut new ones to replace the old ones. It’s an old family farm,” Pemberton says. “It looks like they’ve been there for generations.” The appeal of Pemberton’s furniture, he says, is in the age. “(The materials) just look old and people seem to like that,” he says. “I think people sense that these things are from a time when life was simpler, and they crave that.”
Flathead Lake and area rivers also serve as Pemberton’s sup- pliers. He collects driftwood and crafts it into fixtures—mainly baskets. “Nature does most of the work. I just find it and shine it up for everyone to see.”
In 2009, a fire devas-
tated the historic district of downtown Miles City.
Engulfed in flames, an entire block of businesses burned to the ground. So BECKY ZAWADA, owner of BECKY’S CRE- ATIVE METAL WORKS in Miles City, put her skills to work in helping one business restore its old-school charm. Commissioned by the owners of Cellar Casino, Zawada tackled the task of making the building’s signage look like its original. After cutting out a design from sheet metal, Zawada used a rainbow torching technique to give the
406-585-0800 www.spasandhomerecreation.com Bozeman, Montana Huffine Lane (US 191) in Four Corners at the light 78 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SUMMER 2011
Everything You Need to Play the Game.
