Michael R. Buesking (b. 1960)

After growing up in Strasburg, a small town in central Illinois, Michael Buesking did a four-year tour of duty in the United States Army. From 1982 to 1985 he studied art at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL, and was influenced most directly by artists Herbert Fink, Ed Shay, and oil painting professor, Larry Bernstein. Michael graduated with a B.A. in art (summa cum laude) in 1985 before pursuing a master’s degree, also at SIU-C, graduating in 1987 with a M.S. in Ed. in teaching art.

In 1991 Evangel University in Springfield, MO, hired Michael to teach painting, drawing, and art history. While continuing to teach at Evangel, he began a M.F.A. program at University of Missouri, Columbia. From 1998 to 2002, Michael commuted to MU during semesters and took summer courses. He obtained two graduate assistantships to teach Beginning Drawing in the Art Department at MU. He was twice awarded the Dorothy L. Rollins Scholarship in Painting and Drawing by the art faculty at University of Missouri (2000, 2001).

While at Columbia, Michael was strongly influenced by painters William Hawk and Frank Stack. A sabbatical from Evangel University in the spring of 2002 enabled him to complete his M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing at University of Missouri with a thesis exhibit of paintings and monoprints: Prophet as Artist: Symbolic Actions of the Old Testament Prophets.

Michael’s work has been juried into regional shows such as MOAK 2000 – 2004 and Southwest Missouri State’s Centennial Art Exhibition in 2005 in which he won a 2nd place cash award. One of his Prophet as Artist paintings was part of the inaugural contemporary art triennial at the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) in New York City in 2006: The Next Generation: Contemporary Expressions of Faith. That work is also part of a traveling exhibition by the same name currently touring the USA. Another painting was juried into a competitive exhibition for the CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) Directory and Website Gallery in 2007.

Michael continues as an Associate Professor of Art at Evangel University where he teaches oil painting (introductory and advanced), drawing, and the art history survey courses. Michael also leads travel courses for Evangel University to Florence, Rome, and Venice, Italy, every other summer. He is frequently asked to judge local shows and displays some of his work in local churches such as Praise Assembly of God Church and Evangel Temple, both in Springfield, MO. He resides in Springfield with his wife, Debbie, and his children, Molly and Sam.