Mark Dierker - Owner, Bear Dancer Studios

Mark is an award winning photographer whose work focuses on nature, portraiture and musical performance. 

Mark loves exploring light and how it is interpreted by a camera.  He began taking photos in the mid-1970’s with a fixed lens Yashica camera his father gave him. In college he developed a love for black and white photography and the sweeping landscapes of the American Southwest. Working for newspapers after college helped hone his skills in portraiture and documentary photography. He gets much of his inspiration from his frequent travels. His favorite genres are landscape, portraiture, musical performance and Americana. 

He has shown in group shows and solo exhibitions in more than 150 galleries around the world. In 2005 he started Bear Dancer Studios to showcase his photographic artwork and in 2009 he co-founded Rock the Hub which focuses on promoting the local music scene around Dubuque, IA through photos and video.  

Mark received a BA in Journalism with a minor in photography from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO and is working toward an MA in Communication from the University of Illinois.

One of two sons in a military family, Mark was born in Carthage, IL and has lived in Los Angeles, Memphis, the coast and Piedmont of North Carolina, Northern Virginia, Northern New Mexico, South Central Colorado and Central Illinois. He now splits his time between Dubuque, IA where he works as a freelance editor and designer, and a family farm near Rushville, IL. 

For more information on Mark's work, or to just say hello, feel free to get in touch.

photo by Fred Kinkaid