dynamic symmetry art
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    • Allan R. Banks
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    • Colleen Barry
    • Alan Merris Bell
    • Julie Bell
    • Jonas Bendiksen
    • Ian Berry
    • Gulay Berryman
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    • Matt Black
    • Sarah Blesener
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    • Roger Dale Brown
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    • Antoine Bruy
    • Svetlana Cameron
    • Dario Campanile
    • Enri Canaj
    • Cornell Capa
    • Robert Capa
    • Louis Carr
    • Henri Cartier-Bresson
    • Chien-Chi Chang
    • Turjoy Chowdhury
    • Jacob Collins
    • Mary Jane Q Cross
    • David Andrew Nishita Cheifetz
    • Antoine d'Agata
    • Carla D'aguanno
    • Marcos Damascena
    • Bruce Davidson
    • Carl De Keyzer
    • Jon deMartin
    • Raymond Depardon
    • Bieke Depoorter
    • Stephanie Deshpande
    • Patrick Devonas
    • Paul P D'Haese
    • Marina Dieul
    • Shaun Downey
    • Carolyn Drake
    • Thomas Dworzak
    • Nikos Economopoulos
    • Virgil Elliott
    • Megan K. Euell
    • Philippe Faraut
    • Faripour Forouhar
    • Martine Franck
    • Stuart Franklin
    • Leonard Freed
    • Thomas Freteur
    • Joke Frima
    • Paul Fusco
    • Tina Garrett
    • Gilberto Geraldo
    • Daniel Gerhartz
    • Bruce Gilden
    • Max Ginsberg
    • Stephen Gjertson
    • Burt Glinn
    • Jim Goldberg
    • Arina Gordienko
    • Adrian Gottlieb
    • David Gray
    • Daniel Graves
    • Daniel E. Greene
    • Philip Jones Griffiths
    • Harry Gruyaert
    • Jean Guamy
    • James Gurney
    • Clark Gussin
    • Mandy Hallenius
    • Philippe Halsman
    • Gordon Hanley
    • David Hardy
    • Price Harrison
    • George Hartley
    • Christine Hartman
    • Erich Hartmann
    • David Alan Harvey
    • Seth Haverkamp
    • Jeff Hein
    • Tim Hetherington
    • Ron Hicks
    • Greg Hildebrandt
    • Thomas Hoepker
    • ​Sohrab Hura
    • David Hurn
    • Maureen Hyde
    • Jason Patrick Jenkins
    • Richard Kalvar
    • Svetlana Kanyo​
    • Thomas Kegler
    • Michael Vince Kim
    • Michael Klein
    • Josef Koudelka
    • Wang Kun
    • Alain Laboile
    • Sarah Lamb
    • Joshua LaRock
    • Bryan Larsen
    • Urban Larsson
    • Herman Leonard
    • Robert Liberace​
    • He Lihuai
    • Edward Little
    • Jeremy Lipking
    • Vivian Maier
    • Sally Mann
    • Constantine Manos
    • Diana Markosian
    • Steve McCurry
    • Sydney McGinley
    • Sherrie McGraw
    • Susan Meiselas
    • Terje Adler Mork
    • Karen Offutt
    • Graydon Parrish
    • Christopher Parrott
    • Leszek Piotrowski
    • Denise Pollack
    • Aleksi Poutanen
    • Christopher Pugliese
    • Julio Reyes
    • Lissa Rivera
    • Cristina García Rodero
    • Sergio Roffo
    • Cesar Santos
    • David Saxe
    • Nelson Shanks
    • Jordan Sokol
    • Viktoria Sorochinski
    • Paweł Starzec
    • Victoria Steel
    • Gwendolyn Stine
    • Dennis Stock
    • Vicki Sullivan
    • Carol Lee Thompson
    • Dan Thompson
    • Larry Towell
    • Hsin-Yao Tseng
    • Boris Vallejo
    • James Van Fossan
    • Jeffrey R. Watts
    • ​Patricia Watwood
    • Alex Webb
    • Morgan Weistling
    • Shane Wolf
    • Anna Wypych
    • ​Robert Zeller
    • Kailin Zhao
    • Doug Zider
  • Books
    • Colour Control
    • Dynamic Symmetry in Composition
    • Dynamic Symmetry - The Greek Vase
    • Perspective Made Easy
    • Pictorial Composition and the Critical Judgment of Pictures
    • The Art of Composition: A Simple Application of Dynamic Symmetry
    • The Art of Composition: A Simple Application of Dynamic Symmetry (1956)
    • The Classic Point of View
    • The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry
    • Treatise in Landscape Painting
  • Articles & Videos
    • 3 Bad Habits All Photographers Should Break (Video)
    • 3 Reasons Why Most Photography Workshops Aren't Worth the Money
    • 5 Approaches to Composition in Photography (And Why They Won't Teach You Anything About Design)
    • 5 Myths About Composition (Video)
    • 14 Line Armature (Video)
    • An Email Addressing the Practical Use of Dynamic Symmetry in Art
    • A New, Old Way to Teach Art
    • Armature of the Rectangle (Video)
    • Art Can't Be Taught?
    • Art Educator Mandy Hallenius: Classical Training in Art Opens Creative Choices
    • Artist Robert Florczak: Classical Ideals Give Culture Depth
    • Breaking Down a Dynamic Symmetry Rectangle (Video)
    • Classical Realism- Part 1, 2, and 3
    • Classical Drawing Atelier - Introduction
    • Classical Painting Atelier - Introduction
    • Compositional Studies
    • Creating a Portfolio: Advice from Magnum
    • Drawing Is Back in Fashion
    • Drawing Is the Heart by Juliette Aristides
    • Dynamic Symmetry and Wildlife
    • Dynamic Symmetry for Photographers
    • Dynamic Symmetry and Henri Cartier-Bresson​
    • Dynamic Symmetry in Fine Art Sculpture
    • Film vs. Digital
    • Gamut in Composition (Video)
    • Geometry of Design - Introduction
    • Greatest Area of Contrast (Video)
    • History Painting and the Problem with Art Education
    • How Skilled Copyists Leave the Louvre with a Masterpiece Every Year
    • How the Arts Develop the Young Brain
    • If Anything's Art, Art's Nothing
    • If Everything Is Art, Then Nothing Is Art
    • Isn't There Something Incomprehensible, Magical, or Mystical About Art?
    • Is Photography Art?
    • Juliette Aristides on Composition: From the Book "Classical Drawing Atelier
    • Juliette Aristides: On Myron Barnstone
    • Juliette Aristides On TRAC With the Atelier Movement
    • Keep Your Composure
    • Kenyon Cox on Modern Art and Composition
    • Lessons in Classical Drawing - Introduction
    • Lessons in Classical Painting - Introduction
    • Magnum Photographers from Different Generations ​Talk About the Fabled Agency’s Past, Present, and Future
    • Mastering Classical Realism​ With Juliette Aristides
    • Myron Barnstone: A Life's Work
    • Myron Barnstone: An art career in perspective
    • Nick Alm: Derived From Empathy
    • One Question with Juliette Aristides
    • Pictorial Composition: An Introduction
    • Practice Doesn't Always Guarantee Success
    • Priceless Advice: A Personal Email From Myron Barnstone
    • The Art of Seeing and Visual Literacy
    • The Art of Selection
    • The Atelier Approach to Art Education
    • The Armature of the Rectangle
    • ​The Consequences of Taking a Stand
    • The Da Vinci Initiative
    • The Difference Between a Fine Art Print and a Work of Art
    • The Failure of Art Education in America
    • The Gap Between Photography and Art
    • The Number One Reason Why a Work of Art Will Fail
    • The Painter's Secret Geometry - Introduction
    • The Pendulum Has Swung With a Vengeance
    • The Place of Photography in Fine Art
    • The Road to Visual Literacy
    • What Are the Benefits of Atelier Trainin​g?
  • Art Highlights
  • Contact
John Buxton and Dynamic Symmetry Art

John Buxton

I consider myself a painter of American history and heritage. This task I have set for my work is fraught with self-imposed restraint. It must be believable and represent a true experience of life during the early development of this country. Therefore, I restrict my use of wild, eye-catching color, off the wall composition or most of those tricks that worked well during my 31 years as a successful commercial illustrator.

My love of drawing and putting scenes together began early, before grade school and it remains strong today. I did not really "paint" until attending the Art Center College of Design, now in Pasadena, CA. I would, as a child, occasionally wash color onto my pencil drawings but that was not painting.

My high school art class, in the small southern town of Oxford, North Carolina was very basic, but it reenforced my abilities and desire. Two years of general college, also in North Carolina, were preparatory education before going on to California. There, four years of training and a BPA set the foundation and course for the rest of my life.

The above-mentioned illustrator tricks were employed, of course, to grab attention, to make you focus instantly, and "get it" quickly. Today, this quick read approach is contrary to my goal. My objective now is that my paintings be studied and scrutinized for the narrative they portray. Still (without tricks) they must follow pleasing composition, color harmony, good drawing and value relations in order to be worthy of admiration. I paint historical scenes, but you may need to know something of early American frontier lifestyle in order to ponder my paintings better. I want you to linger a bit...maybe to experience a small portion of the life of America's forefathers. 

My work has been labeled as and is exhibited with the Western Genre Painters, in that I paint the "West" of the 18th century (as America explored further west from the colonies). Because of this label, I enjoy inclusion in two noted invitational museum shows every year. The Autry Museum's Masters of the American West exhibition and the Eiteljorg Museum's Quest for the West. My work is displayed beside that of the best painters of this Western Genre, enabling me to receive an occasional award as well. Magazines have written articles about me and my work. I am blessed and very appreciative!

Because my paintings are extensively researched, they enjoy an additional status. These images are often used in documentary films, in books or articles about history, and in high schools and universities as visual reality to the written word. The original paintings hang in various museums and at historical sites as well as the homes and offices of numerous private collectors. 

At this juncture, and after fifty years, my scheduled production has settled into doing 6 or 7 paintings for the museum shows each year with a few smaller pieces for a gallery and one major commissioned painting per year. Luckily there are several commissions already promised and research material being gathered.

I live in western Pennsylvania, the site of many 18th century events that shaped this Nation, with my lovely wife of 46 years, Noralee. We have five fantastic grandchildren from our son Bryan and wife Laura and from our daughter Megan and Michael.

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What Our CUSTOMERS Are Saying

"Jim offers something that is almost impossible to find online: a truly one-of-a-kind resource. His information about Dynamic Symmetry is meticulously researched and comes from a place of knowledge and genuine interest, not sales, as so many educational sites do. Reading his surprisingly accessible work has helped me to grow artistically in a deliberate and satisfying way. I return to Dynamic Symmetry Art regularly and always learn something new." - Rebecca Isenhart
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  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
    • Dynamic Symmetry Art Membership
    • Dynamic Symmetry Grids
    • Dynamic Symmetry Grids (Custom)
    • Phone Consultation (30-Minute)
    • Phone Consultation (60-Minute)
    • Photography Membership
    • Photography Portfolio Review
    • Single Image Review
  • The Art of Composition
  • FAQs
  • Design for Photographers
  • Artists
    • Abbas
    • Olga Abramovo
    • Nick Alm
    • Christopher Anderson
    • Keliy Anderson-Staley
    • Michael John Angel
    • George Angelini
    • Denise Antaya
    • Juliette Aristides
    • Eric Armusik
    • Eve Arnold
    • Anna-Brith Arnsten
    • Olivia Arthur
    • Steven Assael
    • Igor V. Babailov
    • Anna Rose Bain
    • Garin Baker
    • Allan R. Banks
    • Micha Bar-Am
    • Bruno Barbey
    • Colleen Barry
    • Alan Merris Bell
    • Julie Bell
    • Jonas Bendiksen
    • Ian Berry
    • Gulay Berryman
    • ​Werner Bischof
    • Kirsten Leah Bitzer
    • Matt Black
    • Sarah Blesener
    • David Michael Bowers
    • Roger Dale Brown
    • Paul S. Brown
    • Mary Ross Buchholz
    • Kristie Bruzenak
    • Nadir Bucan
    • Dot Bunn
    • Scott Burdick
    • René Burri
    • John Buxton
    • Antoine Bruy
    • Svetlana Cameron
    • Dario Campanile
    • Enri Canaj
    • Cornell Capa
    • Robert Capa
    • Louis Carr
    • Henri Cartier-Bresson
    • Chien-Chi Chang
    • Turjoy Chowdhury
    • Jacob Collins
    • Mary Jane Q Cross
    • David Andrew Nishita Cheifetz
    • Antoine d'Agata
    • Carla D'aguanno
    • Marcos Damascena
    • Bruce Davidson
    • Carl De Keyzer
    • Jon deMartin
    • Raymond Depardon
    • Bieke Depoorter
    • Stephanie Deshpande
    • Patrick Devonas
    • Paul P D'Haese
    • Marina Dieul
    • Shaun Downey
    • Carolyn Drake
    • Thomas Dworzak
    • Nikos Economopoulos
    • Virgil Elliott
    • Megan K. Euell
    • Philippe Faraut
    • Faripour Forouhar
    • Martine Franck
    • Stuart Franklin
    • Leonard Freed
    • Thomas Freteur
    • Joke Frima
    • Paul Fusco
    • Tina Garrett
    • Gilberto Geraldo
    • Daniel Gerhartz
    • Bruce Gilden
    • Max Ginsberg
    • Stephen Gjertson
    • Burt Glinn
    • Jim Goldberg
    • Arina Gordienko
    • Adrian Gottlieb
    • David Gray
    • Daniel Graves
    • Daniel E. Greene
    • Philip Jones Griffiths
    • Harry Gruyaert
    • Jean Guamy
    • James Gurney
    • Clark Gussin
    • Mandy Hallenius
    • Philippe Halsman
    • Gordon Hanley
    • David Hardy
    • Price Harrison
    • George Hartley
    • Christine Hartman
    • Erich Hartmann
    • David Alan Harvey
    • Seth Haverkamp
    • Jeff Hein
    • Tim Hetherington
    • Ron Hicks
    • Greg Hildebrandt
    • Thomas Hoepker
    • ​Sohrab Hura
    • David Hurn
    • Maureen Hyde
    • Jason Patrick Jenkins
    • Richard Kalvar
    • Svetlana Kanyo​
    • Thomas Kegler
    • Michael Vince Kim
    • Michael Klein
    • Josef Koudelka
    • Wang Kun
    • Alain Laboile
    • Sarah Lamb
    • Joshua LaRock
    • Bryan Larsen
    • Urban Larsson
    • Herman Leonard
    • Robert Liberace​
    • He Lihuai
    • Edward Little
    • Jeremy Lipking
    • Vivian Maier
    • Sally Mann
    • Constantine Manos
    • Diana Markosian
    • Steve McCurry
    • Sydney McGinley
    • Sherrie McGraw
    • Susan Meiselas
    • Terje Adler Mork
    • Karen Offutt
    • Graydon Parrish
    • Christopher Parrott
    • Leszek Piotrowski
    • Denise Pollack
    • Aleksi Poutanen
    • Christopher Pugliese
    • Julio Reyes
    • Lissa Rivera
    • Cristina García Rodero
    • Sergio Roffo
    • Cesar Santos
    • David Saxe
    • Nelson Shanks
    • Jordan Sokol
    • Viktoria Sorochinski
    • Paweł Starzec
    • Victoria Steel
    • Gwendolyn Stine
    • Dennis Stock
    • Vicki Sullivan
    • Carol Lee Thompson
    • Dan Thompson
    • Larry Towell
    • Hsin-Yao Tseng
    • Boris Vallejo
    • James Van Fossan
    • Jeffrey R. Watts
    • ​Patricia Watwood
    • Alex Webb
    • Morgan Weistling
    • Shane Wolf
    • Anna Wypych
    • ​Robert Zeller
    • Kailin Zhao
    • Doug Zider
  • Books
    • Colour Control
    • Dynamic Symmetry in Composition
    • Dynamic Symmetry - The Greek Vase
    • Perspective Made Easy
    • Pictorial Composition and the Critical Judgment of Pictures
    • The Art of Composition: A Simple Application of Dynamic Symmetry
    • The Art of Composition: A Simple Application of Dynamic Symmetry (1956)
    • The Classic Point of View
    • The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry
    • Treatise in Landscape Painting
  • Articles & Videos
    • 3 Bad Habits All Photographers Should Break (Video)
    • 3 Reasons Why Most Photography Workshops Aren't Worth the Money
    • 5 Approaches to Composition in Photography (And Why They Won't Teach You Anything About Design)
    • 5 Myths About Composition (Video)
    • 14 Line Armature (Video)
    • An Email Addressing the Practical Use of Dynamic Symmetry in Art
    • A New, Old Way to Teach Art
    • Armature of the Rectangle (Video)
    • Art Can't Be Taught?
    • Art Educator Mandy Hallenius: Classical Training in Art Opens Creative Choices
    • Artist Robert Florczak: Classical Ideals Give Culture Depth
    • Breaking Down a Dynamic Symmetry Rectangle (Video)
    • Classical Realism- Part 1, 2, and 3
    • Classical Drawing Atelier - Introduction
    • Classical Painting Atelier - Introduction
    • Compositional Studies
    • Creating a Portfolio: Advice from Magnum
    • Drawing Is Back in Fashion
    • Drawing Is the Heart by Juliette Aristides
    • Dynamic Symmetry and Wildlife
    • Dynamic Symmetry for Photographers
    • Dynamic Symmetry and Henri Cartier-Bresson​
    • Dynamic Symmetry in Fine Art Sculpture
    • Film vs. Digital
    • Gamut in Composition (Video)
    • Geometry of Design - Introduction
    • Greatest Area of Contrast (Video)
    • History Painting and the Problem with Art Education
    • How Skilled Copyists Leave the Louvre with a Masterpiece Every Year
    • How the Arts Develop the Young Brain
    • If Anything's Art, Art's Nothing
    • If Everything Is Art, Then Nothing Is Art
    • Isn't There Something Incomprehensible, Magical, or Mystical About Art?
    • Is Photography Art?
    • Juliette Aristides on Composition: From the Book "Classical Drawing Atelier
    • Juliette Aristides: On Myron Barnstone
    • Juliette Aristides On TRAC With the Atelier Movement
    • Keep Your Composure
    • Kenyon Cox on Modern Art and Composition
    • Lessons in Classical Drawing - Introduction
    • Lessons in Classical Painting - Introduction
    • Magnum Photographers from Different Generations ​Talk About the Fabled Agency’s Past, Present, and Future
    • Mastering Classical Realism​ With Juliette Aristides
    • Myron Barnstone: A Life's Work
    • Myron Barnstone: An art career in perspective
    • Nick Alm: Derived From Empathy
    • One Question with Juliette Aristides
    • Pictorial Composition: An Introduction
    • Practice Doesn't Always Guarantee Success
    • Priceless Advice: A Personal Email From Myron Barnstone
    • The Art of Seeing and Visual Literacy
    • The Art of Selection
    • The Atelier Approach to Art Education
    • The Armature of the Rectangle
    • ​The Consequences of Taking a Stand
    • The Da Vinci Initiative
    • The Difference Between a Fine Art Print and a Work of Art
    • The Failure of Art Education in America
    • The Gap Between Photography and Art
    • The Number One Reason Why a Work of Art Will Fail
    • The Painter's Secret Geometry - Introduction
    • The Pendulum Has Swung With a Vengeance
    • The Place of Photography in Fine Art
    • The Road to Visual Literacy
    • What Are the Benefits of Atelier Trainin​g?
  • Art Highlights
  • Contact
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