John Buxton was born in 1939 in Oxford, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before completing a degree at Art Center College of Design in California in 1962. A career in illustration took him to Detroit, Cleveland, and eventually Pittsburgh where he settled with his family.
After working as a successful illustrator for 31 years, John transitioned his career into fine art, spending the next three decades painting scenes inspired by the 18th century American wilderness frontier. Though John’s focus is mainly on the Eastern Native American tribes, his work is recognized in the Western art genre since “The West” did not yet extend beyond the eastern mountain range or the Mississippi River during the early years of European settlement.
John applies extensive research to his work to qualify the authenticity of every detail even before he begins sketching compositions. Accuracy is vital since John's paintings are featured in the permanent collections of museums, historic sites, documentaries, books, educational materials and magazines such as Art of the West, American Art Collector, and Fine Art Connoisseur.
John participates annually in prestigious national shows including Masters of the American West at the Autry Museum in California, and Quest for the West at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indiana where he has won the “Purchase Award” and the “Patron’s Choice Award” twice. He’s also won numerous awards in an array of shows and events, and been a member of many elite organizations including Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, and the Salmagundi Club in New York City.
The excitement of painting subjects and scenes of Colonial America continues to inspire John every day as he continues to work at “The Pitt Studio” at his home in Pennsylvania where he lives with his wife, Noralee, and their two children and five grandchildren.
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