Carved Landscapes of Obscurity, Ink, and Wood. (John Buck)

Photo By: Ian Ace Photography

John Buck creates familiar American Landscapes that feel almost dreamlike. His use of natural material and detailing creates questions as to how we see and interact with nature; in both positive and negative ways. 

John Buck takes familiar American landscapes and turns them into surreal, dreamlike scenes through his Mont Blanc on Wood Collection. Created with pen and ink on jelutong wood, the collection immediately stands out through the unusual way Buck approaches his materials. Rather than simply drawing onto a flat surface, he draws directly onto wood panels with a ballpoint pen, cutting the panels into separate pieces as he works before reassembling them once the drawings are complete. 

Buck was introduced to jelutong wood in 1984, a lightly toned wood known for its soft grains that make it easier to carve and manipulate. Although he has also worked with materials like bronze and glass, the wood became an important part of his practice. The combination of the natural brown tones of the wood with the black of the ink creates a limited color palette that gives the work a sense of separation. There is something cold about the pieces, even when the scenes themselves appear rather comforting. 

Throughout the collection, we see imagery connected to American landscapes: rocks, rivers, cacti, trees, and other natural formations. Yet, Buck’s attention to detail transforms these recognizable objects into something with almost humanoid characteristics. Through his use of perspective and patterns, these landscapes seem to come alive, creating an experience that feels both familiar and strangely distant. 

John Buck was born in Iowa and has spent much of his life in Montana, and the American landscape remains central to his work. His pieces often touch on conversations surrounding the environment, including the ways Americans have interacted with, depended on, and sometimes abused natural resources. The landscapes become more than scenery; they begin to feel like a reflection of our relationship with the world around us. 

Photo By: Ian Ace Photography

There are moments within the collection that may remind viewers of Joseph E. Yoakum, particularly in the way landscapes are flattened and presented from an abstracted perspective. Buck’s detailed imagery and repeated motions create a sense of surrealism that sits somewhere between reality and abstraction. 

What makes the collection so interesting is the tension between its subject matter and its presentation. Nature is often associated with warmth, life, and openness, yet Buck’s restricted palette and isolated compositions create something quieter and colder. His work asks us to look again at the landscapes we think we already know, finding something unfamiliar within the familiar and reminding us that even the places closest to us can hold another world.