Pete Sandker

Pete grew up on a goat farm in the woods of Wisconsin, near Soldiers Grove. For most of his childhood, he spent his time exploring the valleys and hills with his two older brothers and the goats. He began drawing at an early age, mostly animals and trees that he saw every day, but also had an early fascination with the seas and oceans, drawing sea life from the many nautical books his parents gave him.

In Pete’s early teen years, he started focusing on figure drawing in the hopes of becoming a comic book artist, but eventually transitioned back to wildlife drawing and painting. He lived for a time on the east coast, in Maine and Massachusetts, where he was greatly inspired by the beauty of the rugged coastline and forests.

When I am out in the woods or by the water, I sometimes get a feeling like they are trying to show me something , so I wait, watch, and listen. Eventually I see it, then I go home and put it down on paper the best I can. I’m not trying to say anything with my art, I am only repeating what the earth told me.