Born in Montana, Jeff Fleming grew up surrounded by wilderness and wildlife. Jeff's art career began in 1985, "I always enjoyed working with wood and began by sculpting large wood carvings. Whimsical bears have always been my favorite subject and I've carved hundreds of bears from little cubs on up to huge bears standing 20' tall. I've always thought of bears as being very human-like and playful. Many of my bear designs are based on our outdoor adventures or tell stories that many of us have in common, special moments and fun times shared with family and friends in the Great Outdoors."