I was born a wildlife artist.

Since the age of three, I've been drawing just about any and every form of plant and animal life I've studied. My first subjects, of course, were dinosaurs, which I would illustrate constantly. I left no blank piece of paper (or blank wall, for that matter) unaffected by my Mesozoic renderings. You could say, with out a doubt, that illustrating prehistoric life has been a lifelong obsession.

I was born in Mankato, Minnesota, in 1971. My ethnic roots arising from Scandinavia deeply influence my artistic styles. The natural world around me has been my greatest mentor. Nature is an unlimited resource to learn from for all aspects of human growth, and I have been fortunate to have traveled the western United

While I was earning my illustration degree at the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in Denver, Colorado in the early 90's, I had the fabulous opportunity to work with fossils at the Denver Natural History Museum. Under Kenneth Carpenter, I was able to learn a great deal about fossil preparation. I have a profound respect for paleontologists and the undertaking of fossil interpretation. I also respect other paleo artists who firmly take on the task of accurate reconstruction. It's a demanding field all around.

Erik Christopher Omtvedt