Biography
Fred Easker was born in 1944 in Cedar Rapids, IA. He received his BA in 1967 and his MA in 1989, both degrees in Art Education from the University of Iowa. He taught art on the secondary level at the Linn-Mar Community Schools in Marion, IA, for seven years. He served as the Assistant Director at the Cedar Rapids Art Center from 1975-79. Since 1979, he has worked as an independent artist although he has served as a part-time faculty member at Coe College and worked part-time for the Marion Historical Museum. Easker has been painting full-time since 1994.
Easker has received numerous awards for his paintings. His corporate commissions have come from such sources as the Cedar Rapids Airport, St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, American Telephone and Telegraph in Kansas City, and the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids. His art works are in many museum and private collections including the Papa John Center, School for Business Administration at the University of Iowa, the Iowa State University Museums, Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Meredith Corporation, the latter both located in Des Moines. He has participated in many group and solo exhibitions, focusing on areas in the Midwest.
Easker’s art works have been used to illustrate several books and journal articles. He has been the subject of several articles and profiles as well. He is especially known for his Iowa landscapes. Easker says in his online artist statement “Most of my paintings are based on the rural landscape within an hour drive from my house. I am connected to the area and to the places painted. On my canvases are images of the Iowa countryside but more importantly for me my paintings represent me in the world. They are my story. I endeavor to tell an honest one.”
Source of Biography
www.easkerart.com; Sayre, Robert. Recovering the Prairie. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1999