The youngest of six children, Eric A. Johnson was raised on a farm near Embden, North Dakota.  He graduated from Chaffee High School in 1991 with a class of eight students.  Taking an introductory art class at North Dakota State University sparked an interest in art he had always had; however, up to that point he had had no formal art training.  Johnson dove in, taking all the art classes he could.  After several years of study Johnson decided to focus on sculpture, but ultimately found that printmaking was his true passion.  After graduating from NDSU in 1997, he began his studies at the University of North Dakota’s Master of Fine Arts program.  During his studies at UND he began his ongoing series of Cityscapes, inspired by recollections of his first visits to Chicago and New York City.  By the time Johnson completed the program in 2001, it was clear that he had found his forte with printmaking.

Currently, Johnson is an adjunct instructor of art at Minnesota State Community and Technical College and North Dakota State University, a board member of the FMVA (Fargo-Moorhead Visual Artists), and coordinator for the Visual Arts program for the North Dakota Governor’s School.  He also continues his involvement with P.E.A.R.S, having recently served as Master Printer through the program for editions by Canadian painter Ken Dalgarno and artist Star Wallowing Bull.  An exhibition of 58 of his prints from the past 12 years is currently traveling through North Dakota and Montana. He continues to create and exhibit new work and hopes to set up his own printmaking studio near his home he shares with his wife Dera.