Ernie Kwiat

Ernie Kwiat (rhymes with "what") was born in Houston, Texas, and raised near New Castle, in western Pennsylvania. He studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City before serving in the U.S. Navy. Ernie then earned his MFA, specializing in printmaking, from Mills College in Oakland, California. As art director and designer for a commercial screen-printing company in California, he designed and created graphics for clients including Lucas Films, Hanna-Barbera, Disney, and Sesame Workshop. This led to his next role as art department head of Sesame Street General Stores where he performed as an illustrator and product designer. Ernie currently enjoys working as a freelance illustrator, and in 2019 one of his picture books became a New York Times bestseller.