Order, Disorder and Imagination in John Buck’s Sculptures :: Art Essays

Order, Disorder and Imagination in John Buck’s Sculptures There is always a first impression, a first glance seeping through the corner of your eye. When passing by one can’t help but to notice the overwhelming presence of John Buck’s freestanding sculptures which stand in front of the Gallery. I find myself overwhelmed by both the size and the boldness by which these sculptures speak. Their organized structural nature combines a variety of ideas from branches, birdhouses to molecular structures and globes, and in the middle of it all stands the ringing human form. Initially, the forms and elements I saw in these sculptures impressed me but their composition did not challenge or stimulate my curiosity. So I kept up with the flow of traffic and continued on walking by. I couldn’t quite figure out why I had an aversion to these sculptures. It wasn’t until I started to break down the elements of these sculptures and take a closer look within the walls of the gallery that my first impression faded and a new aur a of his work came into being. A have found an appreciation for both his ways of making and the perceptions he presents. I am a big fan of wood carving, so I am thoroughly impressed by John Buck’s carvings of both his sculptures and woodblock prints. I appreciate the details of his work for instance the visibility of the chip carving and the control he has over the bends of the wood. I am curious to know the techniques he uses to get these details and his methods to making them. I read that John Buck uses a special kind of wood called jelutong. The artist said about working with wood, â€Å" There is an automatic and direct relationship between the nature of the wood and how I am able to work with it†¦In the carving of wood there is a physical activity that is more about nature in the making –not just the concept of the image, but the actual making, is connected to nature.† His connection to nature and the environment go beyond his use of wood as a medium, but are explicit in the stories he tells. In the lecture ‘Pillar to Pole’, Bruce Gunter commented on three forces which he found impacted Buck’s art work, these being: Midwest roots, environmental degradation and relationships to humanity.