Two in Montana:
Deborah Butterfield and John Buck

Artist Bio

The museum was honored to present the work of Deborah Butterfield and John Buck. These two internationally recognized artists are husband and wife, and live on a ranch near Bozeman, Montana. The work of each artist has been critically acclaimed and well received by the major art institutions in the East and on the West Coast. The exhibition, Two from Montana, was organized by the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, Montana, and came to Ashland after a national tour.

The work of both Butterfield and Buck reflects their individual interests. Horses are an important part of Butterfield’s life. For several years, her sculptural work has focused on images of horses constructed from a variety of materials that includes found objects, sheets of rusted steel, tractor parts, and sticks and mud. Her horses take on an incredible presence endowed with a sense of grandeur and monumentality. They become poetic metaphors that evoke the spirit of the American West and captures the imagination of the viewer.

In contrast, Buck’s work is concerned with social, environmental, and political issues. In his masterful woodblock prints and wooden sculptures, Buck juxtaposes multiple symbols, objects, and human figures in a sophisticated way to suggest meaning by association. His layers of imagery engage the emotions and intellect of the viewer in a search for an understanding of the complexities of the human condition.

Although the work of each artist is grounded in the American West, it is a component of the broader discourse of contemporary art. However, it is not a contemporary art that alienates the viewer, but one that invites, challenges, and informs. Simply stated, Butterfield and Buck are truly fine artists, and this show was not to be missed.

Exhibition Statement

Deborah Butterfield’s monumental horse sculptures are familiar to many art and horse lovers alike. Butterfield has created horse sculp­tures for over 20 years, and has been an avid equestrian since early childhood. Her profound love and respect for horses is evident in her sensitive and empathetic portrayals of her equine subjects. Butterfield uses found objects to create her sculptures; everything from aban­doned industrial materials, such as misshapen basketball hoop rims, abandoned red wagons, remnants of old John Deere tractors and rusted car parts to natural elements, such as branches, sticks and palm leaves, has found new life in her horse sculptures. Butterfield’s unique talent and facility with her materials allows her to create sculp­tures that capture simultaneously the spiritual power, physical grace and essential dignity of the horse that anyone who loves horses rec­ognizes instantly.

John Buck’s multi-layered, woodblock prints and eclectic sculptures are composed of hieroglyphic images that address the diverse rela­tionships between contemporary American culture and non-western traditions, past and present. Equally influenced by western folk art, Native American pictographic art, prehistoric artifacts and contempo­rary social, political and art-historical issues, the diverse elements in Buck’s work creates complex dialogues between cultures and ideas. In Buck’s work, the seemingly random juxtaposition of symbols and images creates an exchange between disparate elements: nature versus civilization; tribal culture versus industrial culture, rural western priorities versus urban eastern politics.

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