John Likes Himself

The retired University of Washington art professor includes in his imagery the stories of his life, concentrating on his mother, his world travels, his love of bird watching, and the spiritual rituals he participated in with the aboriginal people. Unlike many artists, Mason has continued to change his style over the years, while always managing to have work that is distinctly his own. For me, the birth of a painting is the improvisational use of energy to expressively pattern a surface with paint, which, in turn, is suggestive of the delicate balance and interrelationship of all living things in our ecosystem.  I continue to search for that magic place that I am always sure lies just over the next hill. Maybe it really only exists in the painting. –Artist statement