
John Buck
The Fountain, 2015
John Buck’s newest woodcut “The Fountain” is all about water. It features a large central image of …

Interdisciplinary artist John Buck is known for his narrative woodblock prints, freestanding sculptures placed in front of painted canvases, and relief panels. In the 1980s, his work began to grapple with global social and political issues, such as Apartheid in South Africa, civil conflicts in Lebanon and Ireland, and questions relating to the natural environment, but his recent work has become more introspective. Buck adopted the human figure, according to the catalogue accompanying his 1999 exhibition at Lewis & Clark University, “as a template to explore complex language of familiar and unfamiliar symbols.” He also creates gorgeous kinetic sculptures, such as Cat’s Cradle (2013), which is inspired by the European explorers who “discovered” the new world. He describes such works as “compositions that are all about balance,” characterized by images on either side that are equal in weight as well as subject matter.

John Buck’s newest woodcut “The Fountain” is all about water. It features a large central image of a flowing fountain surrounded by a tapestry of incised images in the background. The incised images start at the top with happy mermaids, mermen and fish frolicking in abundant water. Below Buck presents scenes of water …

Interdisciplinary artist John Buck is known for his narrative woodblock prints, freestanding sculptures placed in front of painted canvases, and relief panels. In the 1980s, his work began to grapple with global social and political issues, such as Apartheid in South Africa, civil conflicts in Lebanon and Ireland, and questions relating to the natural environment, but his recent work has become more introspective. Buck adopted the human figure, according to the catalogue accompanying his 1999 exhibition at Lewis & Clark University, “as a template to explore complex language of familiar and unfamiliar symbols.” He also creates gorgeous kinetic sculptures, such as Cat’s Cradle (2013), which is inspired by the European explorers who “discovered” the new world. He describes such works as “compositions that are all about balance,” characterized by images on either side that are equal in weight as well as subject matter.