Born on Christmas day on 1958 in a small town in Upstate N.Y. “Wells” on the edge of the Adirondack Mountains, John and his brothers were avid hunters. During hunting season in the winter on 1977 they came upon an injured mother black bear and her small cub. Unable to save the mother they brought the cub down to the Park Ranger Station and John held the cub in the back of the truck and felt a bond and care that would last a life time. Swearing off hunting, John attended Bennington College in Vermont and began his career in art. After graduating with a Liberal Arts degree, John traveled the country to study the habitat of the wild bears of the US. Currently living back in Wells, NY, John’s work is acclaimed by the Wild Life Foundation of North America and is an activist in the preservation of the Black Bears Natural Habitat Society. John Gil’s philosophy on life and art is as such, “the world is home for all to share and enjoy not just the human race”.