Fred Szatkowski has been a painter, graphic designer and an illustrator, for over 30 years. A commercial illustrator for ad agencies and industry and a graphic production artist in the early 1980s, Szatkowski supplemented this painting still-lifes in opaque watercolor and won numerous awards on the art show circuit. A visit to the Toronto Zoo in 1985 changed the direction of his art toward the natural world which he was inspired to focus on it in his art and which he always had a love for. This was followed by trips to Kenya and Alaska. In 1989, Szatkowski joined the Buffalo Museum of Science as an artist and designer, and for fourteen years was part of a diverse and talented exhibits team creating natural history dioramas and educational exhibits. A frequent participant in "Birds in Art" exhibitions of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson and a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists for 16 years, his work has been exhibited in prestigious Institutions and Museums across North America.
In early 2001, Szatkowski started creating illustrations for the licensing field. His work can be found on a wide range of products from puzzles to greeting cards to posters. Szatkowski says he is compelled to paint and illustrate, and that he loves the work and can't imagine not doing it. He believes that it’s in painting the natural world, the world created by God for us, that he takes refuge and peace. In 1998, Szatkowski was honored with the “Citizen of the Year” award by the Ampol-Eagle newspaper for his contributions in the field of art in the city of Buffalo, New York.
