Stig Dalstrom is a self-taught artist, illustrator and orchid taxonomist. Born and raised in Sweden, orchids became his passion as a teenager and he traveled to Equador several times assembling his orchid collection. Through hard work and perseverance he finally arrived in Sarasota in 1981 to work at the Botanical Gardens.

His fine art can now be seen in public and private collections in Europe, South America, Asia and the USA. His beautiful life size orchid illustrations are published by Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis in “Thesaurus Dracularum” and “A Treasure of Masdevallia” authored by Carlyle Luer.

He is a dedicated botanical illustrator with an extraordinary ability to capture the complex details and colorings of the orchids he paints. Orchids are his passion. He now resides in Sarasota, Florida where he works for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

“Our existence on this beautiful but lonely blue planet depends entirely on plants. The air we breathe, the food we eat, fibers for our clothes and many of the medicines we need derive directly or indirectly from plants. What can possibly be more important than to learn about plants and how to care for them? To learn about nature really means to understand about life and how we need to care for ourselves. Plants are our capital, our life’s savings and our retirement fund at the same time ensuring that we survive as long as the sun may shine”