Sätty was born in Bremen in 1939, a city which endured heavy bombardment in WW2. Its ruins were regularly incorporated into the magic realist prints, drawings, and collages he created in great number, subverting his traumatic experiences into a surrealist imaginary world. Gravitating to San Francisco in 1961, he was fascinated by alchemy and the occult, and naturally became part of the burgeoning psychedelic scene.
In an interview of 1970 for 'Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural', he stated: "I'm also very heavily into colour-mixing, which I also consider a form of alchemy. By experimenting with new applications of colours, I think I can help to open up the subconscious. When I imprint these new combinations of colours over mystical prints, I use the big lithograph press just like a paintbrush."