Otto Sturcke

Born and raised in Sun Valley, California, Otto aspired to become a professional artist ever since he could remember. His aspiration was further cemented by one of his elementary school teachers, Mrs. Ferris, who had a keen talent for drawing cartoons to decorate the classroom.

In high school, Otto's talent was more apparent as he delved into creating his high school yearbooks. It was in these years that he became much more appreciative of the art world, drawing inspiration from Disney artists to the Renaissance masters. Otto soon began to paint portraits after becoming familiar with the captivating works of Michael Angelo, Ingres, Saturnino Herran, Velasquez, and Bouguereau.

Immediately after high school, at the age of 17, Otto enthusiastically joined the U.S. Marine Corps in hopes of attaining financial aid for an art college. He was recognized for his drawing ability and was named the "artist private"; although, his plans were momentarily altered in 1991 when he was called to serve in Desert Storm.

Soon after his military service, Otto continued to take art workshops and art courses at several local art associations and colleges. During this time he also took up acting, joining the Screen Actors Guild in 1997. Since then Otto has performed in several television shows and films including, "Crusade", "Mad TV", and hosting Univision's "Control".

In 2003, Otto began to produce and art direct award winning films, including "The Project's Lumiere", which received an Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Student Academy Awards and "Alondra Smiles" which was awarded the "Director's Gold Award" to good friend and director Conchita Villa at the International Family Film Festival, Hollywood.

In his studio, Otto enjoys experimenting and evolving his works with all sorts of different media. Often mistaken for photos, Otto's works demonstrate hours of technical patience, although he seeks to alter his methods as often as he can to truly enjoy every aspect of painting.

Much of his work also involves developing art for film and television, having now created for more than 250 projects. His current projects include conceptualizing and sketching art for Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Smurfs", HBO's "East Bound and Down" with Danny McBride, and "Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader".

Otto resides in Valencia, California with his wife Maria and their pug Luna.

Otto once had a job as a "psychic friend".

Otto is having a blast working with the cast and crew! Jogging in place and breathing into a microphone has never been so much fun!

Mad TV, Crusade, Jelly, Control

Personal Website: www.sturckestudio.com