Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Dustin J. Klassen always enjoyed creating artwork and even started out studying art in college until getting involved in a career in Education. Although he has always loved teaching and coaching something was missing and after an 8 year successful career working for two Universities he attended a workshop at Scottsdale Artists School. At this workshop the decision was made to go back to school to finish his art degree. He earned his Bachelor's in Fine Art from Arizona State University a few years later. Disappointed in the lack of focus towards representational art in the program, Dustin also took time studying with both local and international artists to broaden his understanding of the representational art world - working with the likes of Matt Dickson, Robert Lemler, David Leffel, Max Ginsburg among many more at Scottsdale Artist's School. This education gave a broad understanding of what it took to build a successful painting regardless of a certain style. While some of Dustin's work has been called trompe l'oeil, he strives to keep an edge to his paintings so that they are read as paintings when they are viewed in person, preferring the mask of symbolism in his pieces while not hiding how his paintings were built.
Dustin now paints full time and teaches privately along with workshops from Los Angeles to West Virginia. Dustin and his Wife Yola welcomed their second child into the world in 2020 and currently live in Phoenix, Arizona.
