John Bissell was born in Dubuque, Iowa in 1938. He graduated from the Kansas City Art institute with a BFA, and earned an MA in Art at the University of Iowa. At Iowa he bacame interested in realistic, mechanical and mandala-related subject matter. After completing his studies, Bissell worked as a designer at 3M National in Chicago, then returned to a position in advertising in Dubuque. He was eventually affiliated with the Fishing Whale Press, where his interest in stone lithography developed. Bissell’s recent work has concentrated on subjects from the American Midwest and Wild West, and on the states of Iowa, Michigan and Colorado.
autobiographical statement from the artist, 2000.
