It sits on the edge of the forest. A forest so thick with trees, they’re indistinguishable from one another. The hairs stand up on the back of your neck. You feel like you’re being watched, but are you, and by whom or what? You stand still afraid to make a noise as you wait to see what creature of the night will step out from the shadows.
You blink, unable to believe what you’re seeing. A towering being on two legs covered in hair. Is it human or not quite? Is that “Bigfoot?” you ask yourself.
What is Bigfoot? Does he exist? Where did his existence begin? Bigfoot is not just a mythical being of the forest - it’s a legend. A creature that exists between the realm of reality and myth.
Let’s take a stroll through the forest and see if we can catch a glimpse of the ape-like man many people call Bigfoot.
The Myth of Bigfoot
Grainy photos, large prints in the mud, and hushed conversations are what encapsulate the myth of Bigfoot. But Bigfoot is not just known by that name. Sasquatch, Yeti, Yeren, and Yowie are just a few others.
Although most commonly associated with Native American folklore, similar creatures appear in mythologies and folklore around the globe. They each have their own name and myth.
Bigfoot is seen as a creature with special powers. The Ojibway of the Northern Plains saw this creature as a sign of trouble coming.
Many other tribes saw Bigfoot as a “guardian of the forest,” or a spiritual entity symbolizing nature’s mysteries.
The legend of Bigfoot predates recorded times, yet one of the earliest documented accounts is from David Thompson. Thompson discovered a set of enormous footprints in the Canadian Rockies in 1811.
Dive more into the myth and legend of Bigfoot in Bigfoot Across Cultures: Exploring Global Legends and Folklore of Mysterious Creatures — Southern Style Sweet Tees | Key West T-Shirts and Gifts.
How Bigfoot Became “Bigfoot”
For a creature that is known around the world, how did the myth get its feet wet in American culture? Simply by an article that propelled it out of the forest, onto the page and into our imaginations.
In 1958, journalist Andrew Genzoli of the Humboldt Times published a letter from a reader about loggers in California who found large footprints. Genzoli thought he was publishing the letter as a joke, something to amuse people, but that’s not how it went.
Readers were fascinated. Follow-up articles were demanded and printed.
The loggers dubbed the “so-called” creature who left the tracks as “Bigfoot,” and the myth of Bigfoot was born.
Soon after that article, Bigfoot leaped out of the forest and into pop culture as a character in magazines and paperbacks. Bigfoot was portrayed as a dangerous, primal creature that lurked in the woods.
But, perhaps you remember the movie Harry and the Hendersons from 1987, which aimed to show Bigfoot as a friendly and misunderstood creature - more human than monster.
But, how do you see Bigfoot?
Describing the Indescribable
With so many sightings and accounts, it’s not surprising that many of them share a similar description.
A towering creature, 7 to 10 feet tall, powerfully built, covered in dark hair. It walks upright on two feet, humanlike, but also ape-like. Footprints in the mud measure up to 24 inches long and 8 inches wide. It lets off an eerie, high-pitched howl that is heard long before it makes itself known.
You can almost sense it before you see it. A blurry shape, a shadow in the woods.
Is this the Bigfoot of your imagination? Have you seen it? Where does Bigfoot show itself to
you?
Bigfoot in the Badger State
While the Pacific Northwest dominates the popular conception of where Bigfoot exists, the real hotspot may surprise you - the northwoods of Wisconsin.
The Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO), founded in 1995, has documented over 100 sightings in Wisconsin since the 1970s, earning it the informal title of Bigfoot Capital of the Midwest.
Wisconsin's geography makes it an ideal place with vast Northwoods, dense forests, rugged, undeveloped land, and a heavy canopy that offers a hiding spot.
Most sightings are concentrated in northern and central Wisconsin, but Marinette County is the true epicenter of Bigfoot in Wisconsin, with nine reported sightings since the 1970s.
Price, Vilas, Oconto, and Oneida follow it with a combined 22 reported sightings.
Marinette's sighting history has inspired an annual Bigfoot convention, where researchers, witnesses, and believers gather. An ode to how deeply the legend of Bigfoot has rooted itself in Wisconsin’s culture.
Explore some more notable and compelling accounts of Bigfoot in Wisconsin here - Wisconsin's Bigfoot Hotspots and Sightings – Hangar1publishing.
How the Myth Comes Alive to Me
With the myth of Bigfoot planted firmly in my backyard, it’s no surprise that I’m drawn to this creature.
There is a certain kind of quiet that only happens in the woods. Not silence exactly. There are always small sounds if you listen long enough. Leaves shifting. A branch settling. The woods are never truly still, but sometimes they feel like they are holding their breath.
That is where I imagine Bigfoot.
Not crashing through the trees. Not roaring. Not standing there like a monster waiting to be found. Just there.
A dark shape between trunks. A figure you catch for half a second before the forest closes around it again.
I think that is why Bigfoot has always stayed with people. The story does not begin with proof. It begins with a feeling.
That feeling of walking near a tree line and suddenly becoming aware that you are not the only one there.
For me, Bigfoot feels less like a creature that needs to be explained and more like a reminder.
There is something almost gentle in its mystery. Bigfoot is not really a villain in my mind. It is not a monster coming after you. It is the thing that remains hidden. The thing that watches from the edge. The thing that belongs so completely to the forest that seeing it at all feels like an accident.
That is the kind of story I am drawn to.
Why Bigfoot Belongs in My Studio
The story of Bigfoot fits seamlessly into Modern Medieval Press. My work is often about the place where history, folklore, craft, and imagination meet. It is about taking something old-world and finding a place for it in a modern home. Not as a costume. Not as something locked behind museum glass. As something living.
Bigfoot feels like that.
It may not come from a medieval manuscript, but it belongs all the same. The world of strange beasts in the margins. Wild figures at the edge of the village. Creatures that were not only drawn because people wanted to document them, but also because people needed a shape for mystery.
That is what folklore does. It gives the unknown a body, and Bigfoot is a vessel for the unknown. A creature that stands between the familiar and the impossible.
When I imagine creating art around Bigfoot, I do not picture something loud. I picture texture. Dark trees. Heavy branches. A figure half-lost in shadow. The kind of image that makes you look twice.
The Vision
The story of Bigfoot embodies the very essence of printmaking.
Carved lines are good at holding secrets. They can make bark feel rough, fur feel dense, moonlight feel thin, and darkness feel like it has weight.
In a linocut, the forest can press in around the figure. The black ink can do what the story does, letting some things be seen and keeping the rest hidden.
Because we don’t need to be afraid of the woods. Some things can and should remain.
A footprint.
A shape in the trees.
A story carried home.
Permanently etched in the print.
The Myth Lives On
The myth of Bigfoot lives on. It continues to fuel humanity’s curiosity about the unknown and the wild. It shows up in stories and tales, where someone comes home from the woods changed, unable to fully describe what they’ve seen. Maybe no one believes them, but they believe.
They saw a shadow crossing the path and heard a low growl from deep in the trees.
The existence of Bigfoot remains unproven, but that doesn’t deter those who continue to seek this elusive creature. Don’t disbelieve just because others don’t.
My art is not just a placeholder for Bigfoot; it gives it a very real home. It provides a deep connection to nature and its mysteries. It helps us make sense of the world around us.
Let my art bring the creatures of your imagination to life - to your home and beyond. You can explore here.
