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.