The Bearfoots line up from Big Sky Carvers showcases figurines of American Black Bears doing all sorts of satirical and whimsical activities that humans usually do. Just like any other artists that showcases nature and animals to their creations, Bearfoots designer, creator and founder, Jeff Flemming, sends a message of nature awareness, wilderness conservation and animal rights.



Jeff Flemming born and grew up in Montana where, despite human occupancy in the region, still has a huge geographical amount of wildlife of foliage and fauna. He and his family also lived in an area near Glacier National Park where nature's spectacular and breathtaking views are rolled into one. Glacier National Park is located North of the continental United States which also crosses the Canadian border to the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The park also meets with the Canadian Waterton Lakes National Park and since the two parks geographically meet each other, the two have somewhat been named and combined as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

The federal agency that manages and oversees Glacier National Park which is the National Park Service strictly prohibits certain kinds of industrial, commercial and sporting activities (not referring to the athletic sports) that could potentially destroy the park's natural integrity and its biodiversity. Such "sporting" activities include hunting, industrial activities such as logging, mining, and fossil fuel (oil) extraction are strictly forbidden.

Despite these regulations and efforts, the decline of some species of animals in the area are still apparent. The lynx and the grey wolf are still under the endangered species list.

Glacier National Park's pristine wilderness and ecosystem are hosts to different wild plants and animals. One species of this diverse wildlife is the wild mountain goat, which is recognized for its long white fur coating and is also the official symbol of Glacier Park. Other species of wild animals include red foxes, elks, timber and grey wolves, lynx (which mostly resides in the Northern-most Canadian portion of the park), cougars, also known as mountain lions or puma, and wolverines, which are rarely seen, moose, grizzly bears, and of course, last but not lease, the black bear.

Obviously, black bears are the inspiration for Jeff Flemming's creation of Bearfoots. These carved and/or crafted figurines show black bears portraying different activities in a fun way. Different themes and categories are featured in Bearfoots. One such theme that caught my attention and interest are the wide assortment of Bearfoots functionals that serves as a home decoration and a useful functional at the same time such as picture frames, card holders, perpetual calendars that include numbered cubes, clocks, toothbrush holders, and many more. These items caught my interest because they are the perfect gifts for the people close to me.

Jeff Flemming's career of sculpting woodland animals started in 1985 and many of the creations he made a decade or two ago are now decorations or showpieces on large and famous establishments. Some of which can be found within Disney World.

Jeff's interest in carving and sculpting animals is owed to his childhood life and experiences in Montana. Outdoor activities that he did with his family such as riding horses, hiking, river rafting and kayaking, fishing, and skiing during winter months, pretty much contributed to his artistic craft. As he partnered with Big Sky Carvers in 1993, his Bearfoots line-up continued to grow into a more broad and elaborate product line up and the materials that he use to create his sculptures have also widened such as the sculpture of bears cast in bronze.