Tom Lamont (Born 1949) Canadian, Polar Bear Soapstone Sculpture. Title "Steep Descent" carved near the foot. Signed and dated 1997 nearby. Comes with bio of the artist and a letter of valuation from the previous owner's purchase. 

Size: 19 x 7 x 9 in. 

Tom Lamont was born in 1949 on Prince Edward Island, Canada. As the son of an Air Force officer his youth was spent with the family traveling frequently across Europe and Canada, introducing him to many kinds of people and art along the way. Although he was interested in making art his father was strict and enforced a regimented lifestyle on him and the family, and it wasn’t until he was in his twenties working for the Forestry Service that he was able to explore his creativity. Stationed in lookout towers throughout Northern British Columbia, he began to first sketch and later carve various wildlife figures he encountered, coming to focus primarily on bears and more rare game. After leaving the Service in his forties he devoted himself to carving full time, concentrating on materials other than wood including marble, stone, and even plastics. He also began to expand his subjects to include marine and airborn life, fascinated with pushing the physical limits of each medium he worked in to show dynamic movement and poise. With representation throughout the provinces and a following growing there and the Lower Forty-Eight, Lamont has continued to produce countless beloved statues and figures for collectors all over, particularly his personable and beloved bear figures.