Red Accent
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- Title Red Accent
- Category Painting
- Medium Oil on masonite
- Art Themes Abstract, Pacific Northwest (subject or artist)
- Dimensions 18"h x 21.5"w
- Framed Dimensions 19"h x 22.75"w
- Year Completed 1976
- Description Abstract image of Burpee seed packets for gardens.
- Notes Alden Mason was an American painter known for his abstract and figurative artwork that conveyed aspects of nature, his life, and experience. Mason was born in Everett, Washington growing up with the picturesque Skagit Valley as his playground. As a child Mason spent most of his time in nature which motivated his original majoring in entomology at the University of Washington. Mason tells of a story in which a sparrow landed on his fingertip and looked into his eyes; this moment pointed him towards becoming an artist. He switched his major in college to art after an interaction with artist Ray Hill in which Hill stopped at Deception Pass to give an impromptu watercolor lesson. He would receive his Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts at the University of Washington. His relationship with the university continued after his graduation when he was offered a teaching position at the School of Art where he worked from 1949 till 1981. His “Burpee Series” oil paintings, named after the seed catalog, garnered him the most attention, however he was forced to shift to acrylic due to an allergic reaction to oils and the toxic fumes of turpentine. Later, Mason would exhibit hand shaking due to chemical poisoning that he could miraculously control when working. Another popular series was his Squeeze Bottle painting in which, hence the name, Mason used squeeze bottles to paint. This period of his art was influenced by his travels to Mexico and Central America. Mason’s art forms are considered playful and mischievous, using both thick strokes and stick figures. In his 70’s, Mason traveled to New Guinea and lived among native tribes which influenced his later artwork. Mason died in 2013 at the age of 93 in Seattle, Washington.
- Artist Alden Mason American 1919 - 2013
- Credit Carlson Collection
- Location Library 116
- Accession Number 1980.0008
- Status Checked Out
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