June + July 2021 | Alden Mason | A Teacher's Legacy
Alden Mason
ALDEN MASON
A TEACHER'S LEGACY
June 3 - July 24, 2021
In conjunction with the opening of Alden Mason’s retrospective at the Bellevue Arts Museum, Fly Your Own Thing, open through October 10 2021, the Alden Mason Foundation and Foster/White Gallery are pleased to present an exhibition of selected work created by Mason’s art students in June. Also on view will be an array of Mason’s artwork, ranging from large scale paintings to smaller works on paper.
Comprised of artwork made in his classes at the University of Washington where he taught for 32 years, the student selections includes work in a variety of media that was kept to be used as examples in future classes. Mason was an inspiration and mentor to his students, many of whom have contributed their memories of and experiences with the artist. They talk of Mason as full of life, vibrant, and dynamic, with a passion for dancing and a love of nature that filled his paintings. You may read an excerpt of the quotes below.
Proceeds from the sales of the student artworks will benefit the Alden Mason Foundation and help to establish a scholarship in Mason’s name through the School of Art at the University of Washington.
Alden Mason with Daphne Homan Robinson, who served as his teaching assistant for two years
"[...]He asked everyone to gather around and instructed us that we were to paint something unique that resonated with our own personal perspective. The constraints he said, were that we could use only three colors, black, white and gray and that we could only paint the objects he provided. This he said was often the challenge in life, to make something beautiful out of what life provides and be prepared to change course. It was this lesson, more than any others, that stuck with me over the years and provided the key to solving enumerable quandaries. [...]" - Deb Hunter
"[...] His entire being danced with such energy, that he seemed to shake with life.
His voice would shudder with laughter,
even as he gave a student the most devastating of criticism. [...]" - Linda Beaumont
"[...] So we ended up in a nearby bar with a large dance floor. The transformation from the thin, introspective, professor to the wild, hyper, crazed athlete was complete. I spent most of the evening with my mouth open watching Alden’s second show of the evening." - Roger Shimomura
"[...] He loved sharing the joy of making art with all of us, his students, colleagues and friends. He had ambition for himself, and for all of us as well...he wanted every one of us to have a successful career. [...]" - Gene Gentry McMahon
Top, Alden Mason, Primal Baskets, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 42 inches
A view of artwork by students of Alden Mason
Alden Mason held a BFA and an MFA from the University of Washington, Seattle. He had his first solo exhibition in 1946 at Henry Art Gallery, and his work was shown extensively, including at Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID; Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA; Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA; and San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA to name a few. His paintings are part of dozens of Museum and University collections including San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA; Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR; Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL; and Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA. Alden Mason passed away in February, 2013. He was 93.
Greg Kucera Gallery will be showing a selection of Mason's painting and drawing from June 3, - July 10, 2021, as well as watercolor paintings by Ray Hill, Mason’s instructor and mentor.
To learn more about Alden Mason, and to see available works please visit fosterwhite.com.