Steve Sierigk

Originally from the metro NY area (southern Westchester County) I moved to upstate NY in the early 70’s to attend SUNY Binghamton with a focus on the biological sciences emphasizing Botany. In 1978 I moved to the Ithaca area to attend Cornell where I was enrolled as a graduate student in Entomology (fancy talk for one who studies bugs). I had taken many Scientific Illustration courses along the way. I made a portion of my living then by drawing detailed renditions of mosquito brains, moth genitalia and such.

At some point in the early 1980’s I cut my academic ties and became involved in trying my hand at farming and art. Although it was satisfying, the farming was just not paying the bills so I took my art more seriously. In this period before computer layout and design was common I made a living hand designing restaurant menus ( I am also a calligrapher), logos, wine and other food product labels. All along this time however I was developing a line of notecards and stationery products with my imagery. I called this fledgling company Acorn Designs.

As the 1980’s proceeded along my notecards were increasingly marketed across the country and became my primary business. By the late 1980’s I started inviting other artists to join in the Acorn line as I enjoyed the richness of the local art scene. Today Acorn has about 30 contributing artists from all parts of the country, but as I have the longest tenure with the company my designs are still a large part of the line. The common theme of all the artists is a respect for and a celebration of Nature.

I still enjoy being a contributing artist to our line and still even do some freelance work from time to time but my work at Acorn increasingly involves developing new products and working with other artists as well as getting the word out about us. It is always fun for me to put pen to paper as I am always amazed to see what the final product will be after spending an intensely focused period translating a 3-D image into pen or pencil work, attempting to capture some essence of a plant or creature. Enrapturing oneself into a piece of art and actively participating in it for hours, one seems to lose a sense of self and perhaps we do become a part of what we are drawing and develop a better understanding of the world.

Enjoy and appreciate the beauty around us!
www.acorndesigns.org