The Golden Key (2022)
Signed copies available from the author – please contact
A stranger at a railway station, secretly slips Ara a golden key. Moments later he is arrested by the much feared, security police. The key unlocks gateways into other worlds of wisdom beauty and terror. A totalitarian regime and a pandemic grip the world, threatening freedom, and human survival. Ara and two friends are propelled into the forefront of the struggle. Each is endowed with a special magical ability: the intuition of the moment, glimpses of the future and memories of times long past. The certainty of their mission is almost extinguished. A fluke accident and the shadow of death puts them back on track. White magic meets black, courage and self-sacrifice struggle against illicit knowledge and a lust for power. Love is the most potent weapon against evil, but will it be their undoing?
Guilty but Insane: Autobiography Volume 2 (2020)
Signed copies available from the author – please contact
Guilty But Insane is the second volume in Johannes’ autobiographical series. In Cheltenham Art College, we are plunged into 1974, the heady ‘after-flush’ of the sixties, with its extraordinary mish-mash of spirituality, politics, mind expansion, music and love. His three years of sculpture degree course (1975–78) saw him at Winchester College of Art and Design, dabbling in metaphysical constructions and flirting with punk.
Johannes unashamedly and candidly shares his psychotropic experiences, first love and first work. The book is well ‘spattered’ with colourful incidents, character vignettes, friendships and strange happenings. We are given a vision of a freer world, less constrained by fear and legislation.
Various hitch-hiking trips with his stalwart companion, Aonghus Gordon, are undertaken to Greece, Turkey, Southern Europe, Israel and Egypt. Ancient cultures and the continuity of civilisation are explored. The summer of 1979, sees them in America, travelling as the early settlers did, from east to west, revelling in the boundless diversity and splendour of the natural world and working in a Camphill Community for adults with special needs, in New York state.
In the early eighties, Johannes’ first serious commissions kick in: the pen drawings for Peter Patterson’s book, Fal, and the Rowan Tree ‘Grail’ fountain.
Johannes Steuck, White Sand and Grey Sand Autobiography: Vol.1 (2015)
Currently out of print
Johannes Steuck’s work in stained glass and sculpture is extensive. This frank autobiography opens with the lives of his forebears, gives a window into W W II, Jewishness and being German. It describes the seemingly fated meeting of his parents in the Camphill Communities in Scotland, and his own arrival. White Sand and Grey Sand tells of the early days of Camphill, its pioneering community spirit, the small seeds of decay already present, its festivals and its colourful characters. Sometimes perhaps, he skirts close to the edge of what should be communicated, but in all fairness, this is balanced by humour and self-deprecation. Wynstones School is portrayed as it was in the ‘sixties and ‘seventies, with its extraordinary teachers dedicated to renewing education. Johannes describes boarding away from home at the age of nine, growing up, love, first travels, and the inevitable tension between the individual in a small self-contained community and the greater world. And in common with other creative individuals from minority groups, leading to tension and conscious absorption. Running through it all there is an enthusiasm for the world and its creatures, friendships and the beginnings of Johannes’ development as an artist. This interesting and entertaining book should appeal both to the ‘insider’ and the general reader.
Fire in the Snow (2008)
Currently out of print
It is a work of fiction which contains some actual experiences which author has been fortunate enough to have. The story addresses important undercurrents of our time – the nature of evil, reincarnation and Karma, and the sense that people may belong to a community based on striving and spiritual activity. All the individuals have powerful threshold experiences in which they are taken to a point of no-return. Their encounters transform them and lead them inevitably into contact with each other. Their Karma as a group is sealed and brought onto a new level of awareness through a redemptive act of sacrifice. Thus the end of the story is also its beginning.
The Catacombs (2002)
Paintings by Greg Tricker, text by Johannes Steuck
The Catacombs consists of paintings by Greg Tricker and text by sculptor and stained glass artist Johannes Steuck. This book of thirty full-page color paintings and sculptures was inspired by a visit to the Catacombs, the ancient Christian burial chambers beneath Rome that date from the first to the third centuries. The paintings are full of seasonal color, Greek mythology, and Biblical themes that go back to the creation. They are full of life, in strong contrast with more orthodox religious art. Johannes Steuck introduces the background to early Christianity, with a description of being inside the Catacombs. Included are drawings of trademarks and an explanation of the symbols found on the cave walls of the catacombs.
Kaspar Hauser: The Holy Fool and the Path of Sacrifice (2006)
Paintings by Greg Tricker, text by Johannes Steuck
Available at Amazon UK
This inspired collection of over forty original paintings by Greg Tricker portrays the extraordinary life of Kaspar Hauser. The paintings have a visionary quality which presents a fresh, contemporary image of Kaspar Hauser, portrayed as the Holy Fool, on a path of sacrifice akin to the suffering of Christ. The mysterious life of Kaspar Hauser is explored by the writer and artist Johannes Steuck with a foreword by Jonathan Stedall. “Not since the paintings of Cecil Collins have I seen work that captures so poignantly the essential purity and innocence of the human being. The Holy Fool is, thank heaven, alive and well in the hands of Greg Tricker.” Jonathan Stedall.
Francis of Assisi: Paintings for Our Time (2005)
Paintings by Greg Tricker, text by Johannes Steuck
Available from Amazon UK
This inspired collection of over sixty original paintings, stone carvings and woodcut prints by Greg Tricker portrays the human suffering, exultation, compassion and joy of the life of St Francis; with their visionary quality, they present a fresh contemporary image of St Francis.
Greg Tricker travelled to Assisi to research St Francis, drawing inspiration from the small church of San Damiano where the saint prayed and the square of San Rufino where he preached; and by walking through the beautiful olive groves and hills that surround Assisi.
The plates, many of which have not been seen before, are complemented by a lively text on the historical background and life of St Francis by artist and teacher Johannes Steuck, and a spirited introduction by writer and philosopher Jeremy Naydler.
Fal the Dragon Harper (1993)
Author: Peter Patterson, illustrator: Johannes Steuck
Currently out of print
Gallery: A selection of illustrations from Fal: The Dragon Harper
Fal, master harper of the Delming, becomes compelled to know the secret of the North, and, against all advice, sets out on a journey of exploration. Along the way he encounters the full force of natural and supernatural elements and overcomes pain and fear as well as experiencing triumph and joy.