Jim Jensen
Bio
WELCOME TO JIM'S WORLD OF WOOD AND BEARS!
Jim Jensen was born in Kalispell in February 1932. When he was about four years old his family moved to Apgar Village, Glacier National Park, where his Dad worked on the Going to the Sun Road. The family lived in a tent in the park during the summer and moved into cabin camps in Kalispell during the winter. Summers were always an exciting time with bears and other wildlife around the camp areas. With no television or radio, Jim and his brother amused themselves watching wildlife and the scenery in the park. His mother encouraged his carving by teaching him how to use a jackknife to start carving whistles, toys, and cottonwood bark animals. When Jim wasn't carving he begged for cookies from the cooks at the company cook shack.
His carvings first became art objects in 1944 when his seventh grade art teacher at Linderman School in Kalispell saw his potential. She helped him with design and the importance of anatomy. From that time he carved off and on for his personal pleasure. After returning from the Navy in 1955 he again returned to carving for relaxation and enjoyment by making gifts for his family and friends.
Jim worked away from home on construction building highways and logging roads. Many of the projects he worked on were located in wilderness areas. After work hours Jim spent his evenings carving and developing his skills. As Jim carved and improved he found a need for professional carving tools and art books. After researching wood carving as one of the oldest art forms he developed his own technique. Using the new tools and knowledge his carvings improved with more detail in life-like features. He decided that the bear would be his main subject because of the many opportunities to observe and study this subject.
Jim's family recognized his talent and encouraged him to enter into the local Libby Fine Art Show. He was reluctant to enter, but his family, wanting others to see and appreciate his art as they did, entered him in the art show. His first show in 1982 was a sellout in a half-hour. This was the beginning of Jims entering into galleries, shows and competition carving shows. He became known as "The Bear Man". Most of his carvings are of bears he observed while hiking in Glacier National Park in the mountains.
In the late seventies woodcarving started to gain greater popularity with art collectors. Jim's wood bear carvings became recognized and were popular in art shows and galleries wherever they were shown. This encouraged him to go into competition in wood carving shows throughout the northwest. He has won many awards judged by his peers and earned the title of "Master Woodcarver". At the Missoula Woodcarvers Show in 2000 Jim took all the honors for a special carving called "The Cub". This carving won a blue ribbon, Best of Show, Best of Class, People's Choice and Artist Choice. Jim was honored for his realistic wood burning hair and life-like style of carving. Since then he has entered many shows and has always come away with high honors.
Jim's artwork is best known for his realistic "hair on the bear" and detail, which he developed in his search to improve his carvings. This is accomplished using a wood burner and following the anatomy to place each hair in the proper direction. They are all one of a kind. Comments made to Jim include: "How do you do that?". "Will you show me how?", and "They look so real!" Jim takes the time and effort to answer their questions, sharing his knowledge and love of both wood and bears.
While doing shows and demonstrations in Glacier Park and East Glacier Park he tries to bring people of all ages into his world of wood and bears. He shows them that they can carve with a little effort and some instructions. One little boy named Peter especially impressed Jim. The boy was in town with his family from California. He had an opportunity to go fishing and boating, but asked his parents if he could stay there with Jim to learn and watch Jim carve a simple bear. The parents were so impressed that they bought a jackknife for Peter as well as several blanks of bears for Peter to work with. This demonstration was very rewarding for Peter, Jim and the onlookers who will remember this as a great experience in Glacier Park.
Jim always looks forward to giving demonstrations and classes to wood carving groups, collectors, and other individuals who appreciated his talent and knowledge of the bears. Jim has taught classes locally and in Yuma, AZ. He has been requested to put on a class at the Woodcarvers Rendezvous. He opens his home to people who call and want to visit him in his shop and just watch him carve. A highlight of Jim's career is seeing the faces of youth admiring his work. In 2003 he visited Edgerton School (Kalispell) fifth grade class and put on a demonstration. He received a letter from each pupil sharing what they received from his visit.
He recently was the featured artist at the Montana House, Apgar, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Going to the Sun Highway. His art is also shown at the John L. Clarke Art Gallery & Museum, East Glacier Park. Jim's unique carving style has drawn the interest of collector's nationally with commissions from individuals and the government.
Even though Jim has achieve his Master Woodcarver's status he wants to continue to improve, promote and teach others so that they might carry on his appreciation of this art form.
So as Jim would say "Welcome to my world of wood and bears!"