The Black Bear Diner reflects our founders' upbringing in small-town America. Their restaurant concept sprang from a desire to bring home-style cooking and personal service back to the dining experience. While the Black Bear Diner reflects their creativity and concern for quality, service and value, our concept is built upon many years of practical experience in a variety of business endeavors.

Carved out of cedar logs that Ray purchases from private loggers in Washington, the bears are styled to reflect unique aspects of the area in which each Diner is located. Ray has created such diverse bears as skiing bears to farmer bears, hunters to cowboys! Of course, most impressive of all is our 12-foot giant Black Bear - a common scene at each of our restaurants.

Ray is a second-generation artist having followed in the footsteps of his father, a chisel carver. Pictured here with the next generation of Schulz carvers (Nick, age 5, and Katy, age 2), Ray started painting in oils at the age of 8 and moved to various forms of art until he found his passion, chainsaw carving, in 1992. A graduate of Eastern Washington University art school in 1994, Ray says he's living the American dream - doing what he loves!

If you would like your very own carved Black Bear, or anything else for that matter, please give Ray a call at 509.276.9504 and be sure to say "hello" from the Three Bears of Black Bear Diner.

Steve has a BA from Morningstar College in Sioux City, Iowa. He traveled the world for many years and moved to Redding, California in 1975. Gary was raised in the Chicago area and has a BFA degree from Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. He worked as an illustrator for an advertising agency in Denver before moving to Redding in 1973.

Together they have created 110 murals throughout northern California. Most of the subject matter relates to nature scenes from the north state consisting of simple shapes and contrasting, dynamic colors.

Another talented Black Bear mural artist is Colleen Mitchell-Veyna. Colleen is equally comfortable painting a watercolor on her kitchen table in Visalia, California, or a public art mural 40 feet in the air. Colleen began painting as a young child, and has completed over 65 public art and private murals in the past 10 years along with numerous series of fine art watercolor and acrylic paintings. She has won many local, state and national competitions and commissions including the California Mural Society – Best Artist Competition.

Colleen’s talents first came to the attention of Black Bear Diner when she was referred and selected to paint 3 murals for the diner in Tulare, California. The landscape and scenery Colleen created inspired patrons and owners alike. As is often said when discovering a fresh talent “The rest is history!”. As of 2006, Colleen's murals have been featured in Black Bear's Tulare, Porterville, Hanford, Monterey, and Walnut Creek (coming soon) diners. Her work can also be seen at our diners in Reno, Nevada; Beaverton, Oregon; Glendale and Goodyear Arizona; Colorado Springs and Grand Junction (coming soon), Colorado. Additionally, you can see her artwork up close on every Black Bear Diner Children’s Menu.

Janet's fine art has exhibited throughout North America in prominent exhibitions and galleries. She studied fine art at the University of California, Davis. She has a distinct watercolor style which has earned her recognition in her field of wildlife art, and she also has a unique illustrative style depicting bears having fun doing all sorts of human activities.

Check out our growing collection of bear T-shirts, mugs, and other apparel designed by Janet for the Black Bear Diners' devoted bear collectors!