About Steve Björkman
Steve was born in the front seat of a ‘49 Ford convertible while his dad careened around corners on the way to the hospital. Perhaps this accounts for Steve’s occasional quirky view of life… as well as his attention to deadlines.
Raised in Southern California, Steve grew up drawing and experimenting with ink and paint. He regularly had his drawings confiscated by elementary school teachers. Steve went on to be an English and secondary education major at Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois. He was mentored in his art by a designer he met in Chicago, and encouraged to carry a sketch pad and draw continually. He does.
Steve eventually returned to California to establish himself as an illustrator, marry, and raise three kids in a corner of Orange County where suburbia meets the wild hills. Steve has taught his children to love the great outdoors.
Steve volunteered for several years as a youth leader with Young Life, and continues to use his art to teach, and do presentations at schools, camps and churches. He has even taught art to students in rural Fiji, where it can be difficult to find paper!
Steve loves to pursue every form of artistic expression he can explore. You might catch him on the street, holding his tablet and his “traveling paint box,” observing passers-by and drawing those he chooses. Many of his conceptual drawing spring from his journals or notebooks.
Steve endeavors to use fiction to tell the truth, use whimsy to point toward hope, and to elevate the under recognized.
He has illustrated well over one hundred books for children, as well as advertising, editorial, and packaging illustrations. Along with his brother, Carl, Steve has created thousands of greeting cards sold by Recycled Paper Greetings, RSVP, and Leanin’ Tree. To date, over one hundred million of his cards have sold throughout the world.
