Born in London, the artist studied at the Slade, in Munich and in Paris (1910-12). He travelled widely to paint landscapes, and his painting Spring Riot, Cornwall (1940) was selected as part of the Looking West Exhibition in 1987. Though included in this representative show at Newlyn and the Royal College of Art, there is no documentation of dates when he was working in Cornwall.

His paintings Derelict Clay Pit, Cornwall and Valley of Treen show time away from his London homebase. He designed posters for British Railways (BR), as many West Country artists did. Buckman comments on his sportsmanship (skiing and climbing) and his pleasure in travelling.