Family and friendship are the key ingredient for these artists

Fifty years of art, family and friendship come together in the form of Touchstones, an exhibit opening at Gallery 5 in the Yosemite Gateway Art Center.

The Touchstones show will feature selections from the work of three artists spanning five decades: Jonathan Bock, William Bock and Ludovico D’Angelo.

“Our friendship never went away,” said D’Angelo. “We love each other — we’re brothers.”

The show opened on Saturday, July 18 and will run through Aug. 16. The community is invited to an artists’ reception on Saturday, July 25 from 5-8 p.m.

The exhibit shares the history of three artists with a focus on friendship and brotherhood, including current and historical works celebrating each man’s creative path and their lasting alliance.

The collection is poignantly revealed as a visual trek over time with elements reflecting all of life’s glories and ghastliness. The artists have shared more than friendship — they’ve been interwoven across existence.

“I love the stories this exhibit tells,” said Jon Bock.

The gathering includes individual work and collaborations in mixed media, photography, painting and assemblage, capturing half a century of evolving styles.

Despite the challenges of remaining close while being physically far apart, the three amigos have managed to do just that.

“Whenever we’re together, we do creative work,” Bock added.

The exhibit’s title, Touchstone, harks to a literal 15th century tool. Jewelers would rub gold or silver against a flat, fine-grained black stone to quickly determine the purity of the precious metal based on the color of the streak.

“It’s an indication of points at which we come together.”

D’Angelo initially met Jon Bock in high school when his first words to the new kid were, “you’re in my seat.” D’Angelo met brother William Bock soon after and the trio of artists have been fast friends ever since, sharing their lifelong passions for art, music, science and history.

D’Angelo maintains a residence in Ewing, N.J., and works primarily in his home studio in Iowa City, Iowa. After many years in Florida, William Bock currently resides in Cedar Crest, N.M. while Jon Bock has been a resident of Oakhurst since 1989.

Ludovico D’Angelo

D’Angelo was born in 1961 in Princeton, N.J., the son of immigrants whose roots reached back to the picturesque Italian village of Roccamandalfi, known for its medieval ruins and artsy heritage.

He attended Ripon College in Wisconsin, studying art and philosophy while developing his love for abstract painting with mentor Erwin Breithaupt Jr. Graduate school at the University of Iowa was where D’Angelo studied painting and multimedia art, earning an MFA in painting in 1989.

Today “Ludy” concentrates on painting and drawing on paper and shaped canvas. His most recent solo show was at the Hudson River Gallery in Coralville, Iowa, in July 2025.

William Bock

William Bradford Bock was born in Chicago in 1958 and began painting at an early age. His creative career includes a BFA degree from Indiana University, an apprenticeship at the Johnson Atelier School of Sculpture in Trenton, N.J., and an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Md.

His work explores the relationships between landscape, geology, flora and fauna. Bock’s assemblages tell stories about our time on earth and the changes that occur over time.

His work incorporates minerals, fossils, petrified wood and found objects, inviting viewers to engage with the natural world, fostering curiosity, reflection and a greater appreciation for the fragile beauty of the world around us.

William Bock has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and participated in numerous museum exhibitions. His work has received multiple awards and is included in prominent public and private collections, including Merrill Lynch, AT&T, Allstate, The Asbury Family Collection, The National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation, the United States Embassy in the Bahamas and the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Museum.

He is represented by Maya Gallery in Santa Fe.

Jonathan Bock

Jonathan William Bock was born in Chicago in 1960 and has traveled widely in the United States and internationally. He is a career artist, business owner, non-profit leader and experienced curator and art director.

Bock’s knowledge of important artists, historical periods and styles and trends in the art world are invaluable assets to determine the importance and value of various works and to understand the needs of clients and collectors.

Bock owns Williams Gallery West, specializing in fine art and folk art, and Stellar Gallery, specializing in Fine Art Photography. He is president and founding director of nonprofit annual open studio tour Sierra Art Trails, dedicated to promoting working artists and artisans in the Sierra Foothills.

He is executive director of Yosemite Renaissance, annually promoting the arts in Yosemite National Park and California’s Sierra Nevada, and the founding director of Yosemite Gateway Art Center where the Touchstones exhibit is installed.

Bock is skilled in many media, defining his artwork as interdisciplinary and bridging 20th and 21st century artistic trends and styles from 1960s darkroom printing to cutting-edge digital technologies.

His artwork includes drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, computer art, animation and interactive media. Bock holds a BFA degree in printmaking and art history from Indiana University, Bloomington (1984) and an MFA degree with a focus on experimental animation from California Institute of the Arts (1989).

Bock, Bock and D’Angelo together form a strong creative triad fostered in the early days by matriarch Mary Lou Bock who first exhibited their work as part of her Williams Collection.

“Mom and dad supported us and encouraged whatever trends our lives were showing,” Jon Bock said. Early on she did this by hosting monthly receptions in an ad hoc gallery turned out from her son’s bedroom.

“If I wasn’t at my house, I was at their house,” in those days, said D’Angelo.

Later, her connections at Princeton facilitated contacts with artists from around the world.

The show at Gallery 5 includes 20-30 pieces by each artist plus collaborations.

Touchstones has been a long time in the making and, admittedly, sometimes years go by without the artists being in the same place at the same time — but they never lose touch. And they’ll all be together for the artists’ reception this weekend.

Gallery 5 is located at 40982 Highway 41 in Oakhurst at the Yosemite Gateway Art Center.