Clark Schreibeis's desire to pursue wildlife art as a career was inspired in 1980 during a four-month canoe trip on some of the wildest rivers above the Arctic Circle in Northwest Alaska. He and a friend floated, lined and portaged their canoe over 600 miles through the Brooks Range while fishing for char, salmon and grayling as well as photographing caribou, moose and grizzly bear.

In 1981, Clark opened his studio in Billings, Montana and began mounting fish and birds for area sportsmen. He soon became one of the West's premier taxidermists. Clark has spent hundreds of hours studying fish anatomy, color, habitat, as well as artistic composition and design.

Clark's first attempt at wood sculpture was a carved brown trout that won Best of Show at a taxidermy competition. A golden trout was his next subject, which won Best of Show at the World Freshwater Fish Carving Championships in Traverse City, Michigan.

In 1995, '97 and '99, Clark won Best in World in Fish Carving at the World Fish Carving Championships, making him the first and only carver to ever win the World Champion title three times in a row. In addition, he is the only carver to ever win Best in World (Best of Show) in three different divisions - decorative lifesize saltwater, decorative lifesize freshwater and natural finish fish.

His "Brown Trout with Sculpins" shown at left was executed in tupelo wood and stands 19" high. It won first place and Best of Show at the 1993 World Freshwater Fish Carving Championships in Traverse City, Michigan. This piece also won first place in the Master Division at the 1994 Masters Fish Carving Competition in Dubois, Wyoming.

Clark doesn't limit himself exclusively to fish. He also enjoys carving stylized natural finish (unpainted) wildlife of all types. These exquisite hardwood sculptures capture the essence of the species while allowing the beauty, rhythm and flow of the natural wood to radiate through.

His piece "Nature's Rhythm" (shown at right) is a natural finish wood sculpture of an otter, combined with a realistic decorative wood carving of a trout. Carved from tupelo and jelutong, it is 23" x 42" x 38" high. This sculpture won first place and the Judges' Choice for Best of Show at the World Fish Carving Championships in Springfield, Illinois in 1995. It also took first place in the Master Division at the 1995 Masters Fish Carving Competition in Dubois, Wyoming, and the Judges' Choice for Best of Show plus the Peoples' Choice for Best of Show in Sculpting and Original Art at the NTA Show in Columbus, Missouri

"Due to these qualities," he continues, "plus the tightness and character of the grain, it makes an excellent carving wood for either hand or power tools. By hiking through the badlands and rolling hills of eastern Montana, I am able to closely examine hundreds of dead standing trees. While junipers range in height from 15 to 35 feet tall, their trunks average a 10-12 inch radius, rarely exceed two feet in diameter, and usually branch out 3 to 6 feet above the ground into gnarled and twisted limbs. No two trees are alike and many hours are spent looking for just the right tree to fit the design I intend to carve. This is a very challenging yet enjoyable part of it for me as I am allowed to view the wood from its natural environment all the way through to the finished sculpture."