John Buck | Prints

Since the early 1970s, John Buck has been making narrative sculptures that employ his signature motif of disparate objects and figures precariously in balance with each other. Among the various carved items are globes, chains, quatrefoils, symmetrical floral patterns, birds, forked sticks and flames.

Buck often uses myriad geometric shapes in his sculptures, with the figures balancing a grid of sticks with a shell or rocks or other items positioned in one of the square openings of the grid. He also stacks items without the grid or skewers them as seen in the work below. Buck uses jelutong wood as his primary material. It is a soft white wood culled from Malaysian farming operations. Too soft to have any value as a building material, it is perfectly suited to the furniture maker and wood sculptor. The process of its own making becomes very apparent in the finished piece. Every hack mark and chisel cut remains visible. These are not slick, polished pieces. Instead they follow in the tradition of folk art, handmade crafts and votive figures.

Recently, Buck produced the blocks for several new large-scale color woodblock prints. These works on paper are made by rubbing graphite over the carved but, as yet, unprinted blocks. One illustrates, among other images, a pine tree growing out of a tire. The other, "A Thousand Cranes," illustrates a flock of origami paper cranes forming the shape of a human figure. Buck also produces large-format wood block prints in vibrant color. Below are examples of currently available works. Prices are subject to change as edition sells out.

Editioned Prints
click on an image to enlarge:

Prices are subject to change as editions sell out

Prints

RAVENS, 2012
Woodblock print
64 x 37 inches
Edition of 12
$4,000




TULIP FOR PATTI SMITH, 2012
Woodblock print
63 x 37 inches
Edition of 15
$5,000




THE REEF, 2014
Woodblock print
60 x 37 inches
Edition of 15
$4,500




THE YARN, 2014
Woodblock print
56 x 37 inches
Edition of 15
$4,500



HIGH WATER, 2013
Woodblock print
60 x 37 inches
Edition of 12
$4,000