Forest Hart, a Maine native, began studying and painting animal life as a youngster. At age ten he changed mediums to include taxidermy.
In his twenties he started sculpting life-size mannequins for his taxidermy and he freelanced for a number of museums.

His education developed from studying animals by making face casts, muscle casts, and devising a system of measurements to enable him to model over skeletons to produce very accurate reproductions.

He left the taxidermy profession and began a very successful business selling life-size mannequins to other taxidermists. This was valuable training for learning what was under the skin to create life-life reproductions. In 1984 he started working in bronze to create art pieces for both the business world and private collectors.

The mannequin business was sold in 1991 so he could devote his full attention to creating bronzes. Much of the work has been done in the field. With his wife and dog he has flown into wilderness areas, living in a tent for as long as two months with no other human contact. There he observed his subjects closely for inspiration.

His sculpting classes have been in the United States, Canada, Africa, and Europe with students from seventeen countries. His work appears in museums, public institutions, private businesses, estates, and private homes. Because he enjoys large sculptures, he regularly produces monumental commissions.