Artist Spotlight

Eric Ostertag: Sawfish

Erik Ostertag grew up in the Twin Cities, Minnesota enamored with the world around him. His childhood was spent outdoors looking for snakes,frogs, and turtles. He would even occasionally flood his mother’s flower garden looking for them. More than anything though, he was fascinated with marine life: sharks, rays, whales, and every sized critter in-between. He spent hours going through Zoo books, and enjoyed drawing the animals he saw in the magazines.As he grew older, he volunteered at the local zoo, and returned for internships during his college years. All the while he continued to practice drawing, sketching, and coloring his favorite animals. In college, Erik focused on biology, taking courses that would help him learn all he could about animals. But he didn’t stop drawing, earning a minor in studio art.After college graduation, Erik moved to Florida so he could start his career working with all his favorite marine creatures. He has spent the last 10 years working for various aquariums and aquaculture facilities. He has cared for a multitude of sharks, rays, fish, inverts, and coral reef systems. He was even on the ground crew opening the largest inland North American coral rescue facility for endangered corals.One of his favorite animals Erik had the privilege of caring for was the Floridian native, the Smalltooth sawfish. They are large critically endangered rays with a toothy, blade protruding from their noses. Erik is still in awe every time he gets into the water with them.

Alyssa Baruch: Hogfish