An American Artist, Illustrator and Portraiture painter born in Erie, Pennsylvania. George attended The Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. He recently received an Honorary Masters of Visual Arts Degree and Alumni of the Year Award from that same institution as a reward for a career that has brought his reputation as an artist and graphic innovator to the highest levels of the field. After a career that began in Kansas City, Missouri at Hallmark Cards and included for the next decade working in several advertising art studios, George decided to set in motion the forming of the George Gaadt Studio, a free-lance venture that is still valid today. A life-long passion for sports led him to a 25 year career with the National Football League as an Illustrator and Eastern Regional photographer. His clients also included the Major League Baseball, Basketball and Football Halls of Fame. Several of his major projects were paintings for the Pittsburgh Steelers 50th Anniversary and in 2007 creating the painting for their 75th Anniversary poster. Beyond George’s interest in sports, military history has played a major role in his career. As a young boy to present day, drawing, painting and collecting history have been a primary inspiration. These activities culminated recently in a series of paintings for the US Army in Europe and Korea. One of the many highlights of his career was having his painting “Last Stand at Fort Ligonier” featured in “200 Years of American Illustration”. This significant exhibition was sponsored by the New York Society of Illustrators and exhibited at the New York Historical Society Museum to celebrate in conjunction with our country’s 200 years of greatness. George has received over 95 awards and appeared in numerous New York Society of Illustrators Exhibition and annuals as a member artist. He has lectured widely and is a former instructor at Carnegie-Mellon University and Sweetwater Center for the Arts, Sewickley, PA. In addition to teaching and lecturing he has served on the boards of Sewickley Valley Historical Society, Sweetwater Center for the Arts and Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society, Sewickley, PA. His professional memberships include The Portrait Society of America, The New York Society of Illustrators and Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators. Gaadt’s extensive and prolific body of work has been recognized and exhibited both nationally and internationally in England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and China.