Original Oil and Watercolor Paintings by Indiana Artist Luke Buck

October 29 - November 20

Buck grew up in Indiana with a love for life, art, and nature that is evident in his nostalgic paintings of Americana and American wildlife. Most of his art education came from training he received from his artist father, Harold Buck, whom he shared a studio with for many years. Luke studied figure drawing at the John Herron Art Institute while attending Arsenal Technical High School, both in Indianapolis, Indiana. He majored in art in high school and received a Vocational Certificate in Commercial Art upon his graduation from Tech in 1960. This school launched Luke’s art career by placing him in his first commercial art job with the Herff Jones Company, in Indianapolis, as a designer and illustrator of class rings and signet jewelry, mainly in the technique of airbrush illustration. After being drafted into the Army in 1963 and serving his two year hitch as an illustrator, Buck returned to Indy and continued working with Herff Jones. In 1970, through the encouragement and moral support from his wife Coleen, Luke broke off on his own as a self employed artist, while continuing as a free lance artist for Herff Jones and other commercial art companies. He also taught art classes and workshops at this time. In 1981 he abandoned the commercial art field to devote his full time attention to the Fine Arts.

Recently, Buck was one of a select group of nationally recognized artists invited to participate in the Forgotten Coast Paint-out in Apalachicola. For ten days from sunup to sundown, the artists set out to capture the vivid colors and tranquil scenery of the shorelines, marshes, picturesque historic homes and rustic boats and buildings. Back in Indiana, Buck received The Floyd Hopper Memorial Award in the 2010 Indiana Heritage Show at The Historic Brown County Art Gallery.

According to Buck, “painting is an artist’s way of expressing, or defining themselves. As an artist, your paintings are basically a documentation, or a reflection of your own life's experiences.  They are the birds you have watched and animals you have seen and studied.  The scenes are places you have been, felt the wind in your hair, and the sun on your face, smelled the sea and air, and felt the dampness of the grass on your feet.  This comes out in your paintings; they are your own inspirations, a mirror of your soul."  Buck prefers a traditionalist approach to his work.

He enjoys realism and detail, yet has an appreciation for impressionism. He strives to create artwork that merges the two. Although the majority of his works are created in the studio, Buck enjoys "plein air" painting as a means of keeping his himself fresh and alert. His goal is to create the atmosphere or feeling of the moment while maintaining the accuracy of the scene, thus documenting  and preserving the authenticity of the vanishing subject matter. Buck will be teaching a two day "Plein Air" Watercolor workshop in a studio setting at Artistic Designs Gallery in Brownsburg, Indiana on Saturday October 30th and Sunday October 31st from 9:00 am -4:00 pm. The workshop will focus primarily on the watercolor techniques that Buck uses to create his nostalgic American landscapes. Cost of the workshop is $200 for both days and does not include supplies or accommodations. For more information call (317)852-0252 or register here.