Michael Wertz is a commercial artist from Oakland who has been crafting imagery for clients since 1995. His clients include The Exploratorium, deYoung Museum, Camelbak, Chronicle Books, the New York Times, Oaklandish, and Random House. The SFMOMA has featured his work as part of the interactive exhibition The Curious Scholarship of Dr. Bedcannon. He has created screenprinted posters for the Oakland Museum of California, Camper Van Beethoven/Cracker, and ALO, to name a few.

Wertz's book A Curious Collection of Cats received a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Honor and was an NCTE Notable and an ABC Best Book for Children. The 2011 follow-up A Dazzling Display of Dogs has received rave reviews including a star from School Library Journal. His book Dog Dreams (a board book for children of all ages) was recently published by Gingko Press.

Wertz's work has been recognized and published by Communication Arts, American Illustration, and the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators. He holds a B.A. from U.C. Santa Cruz and a B.F.A. from the California College of the Arts.

Michael was the National Representative for the Northern California Chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild for five years. He is one of the founding members of Monster Illustration, a loose confederation of illustrators who seek to bring color back to an otherwise gray landscape. He is a proud member of the Elsewhere Philatelic Society, an interactive fiction project set in various locations throughout San Francisco Bay Area.

Website: www.wertzateria.com