George Founds
George Founds is a nationally recognized wildlife artist, illustrator, and educator whose work is grounded in both formal academic training and a lifelong engagement with the natural sciences. With a career spanning multiple decades, Founds has produced a significant body of work for institutions such as National Geographic, Reader’s Digest, the National Wildlife Federation, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Founds holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art. His academic background in fine arts, combined with extensive fieldwork and observation, informs his highly detailed and anatomically accurate renderings of wildlife. His practice is characterized by close attention to ecological specificity, and his works often serve both aesthetic and educational functions.
Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, he developed an early interest in wildlife through outdoor experiences that later shaped the content of his artistic work. Over the course of his career, he has traveled extensively to study and document ecosystems firsthand, translating these observations into precise visual studies of species and habitats.
In addition to his professional practice, Founds taught graphic design and illustration at a number of higher education institutions, contributing to the development of curriculum in representational and scientific illustration. Now based near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he continues to produce new work from his home studio.
Founds' work occupies a place at the intersection of art, science, and environmental study. His longstanding connection to Michigan through graduate study and professional affiliations reflects his role within a broader Midwestern tradition of naturalist art and ecological engagement.
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