GARRISON, NY.- “Inside Out,” a retrospective of Deborah Buck’s provocative, abstract paintings is on view in the Gilette Gallery at the Garrison Art Center in Garrison, NY, through May 6, 2012. In addition, “What’s Inside?,” an exhibition of Buck’s recent acrylic works on paper, is on view at Julie Saul Gallery (New York City) through May 5, 2012. An illustrated catalog has been published in conjunction with both shows and includes an essay by Lilly Wei.

“Inside Out” includes a selection of 16 to 18 Deborah Buck’s works on paper and large-scale oils on canvas. These colorful, expressive compositions, which span a period of twenty years, show the range of Buck’s skill and sensibilities. “Piano Legs” (1991) and “Up in the Air” (2004) are examples of her masterful handling of paint and demonstrate her wit, humor and curiosity. Although the imagery is abstract, the pictures invite interpretation or suggest a narrative.

Secret worlds and fairy tales such as Wonderland are a consistent point of departure for Buck’s practice. The centralized forms, anthropomorphic wrapped objects, which are the subject of Buck’s paintings are both inviting and slightly sinister. Her vocabulary of form is distinctive and grows out of organic surrealism.

“The work is smart in every sense of the word,” says Bill Burback, curator of Buck’s show and President of the Board of Directors at Garrison Art Center. “What impresses me is the boldness, strength and originality of her imagery along with the consistency of her vision. She loves paint and has a resourceful - accomplished hand and an impressive command of the medium. Buck’s work offers many rewards. They all make you want to know her.” “Inside Out” continues through May 6, with a reception for the artists on April 14, from 6 to 8pm and an artist talk by Deborah Buck on Sunday, April 29 at 2:00pm.

Now living and working in New York City, Buck is originally from Baltimore and credits her early artistic and intellectual development to her encounters with the legendary Abstract Expressionist painter Clyfford Still. Impressed by her paintings, Still arranged for Buck to go to The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine at the age of 18. Buck began showing her work professionally in the 1980’s and her work has been exhibited at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Grey Art Gallery and The Bronx Museum, among other galleries and museums. She is currently a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts in the MFA Design Program in New York and also sits on the Board of Trustees at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.