JEAN MASON
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Most known for her vivid and passionate musicians, Jean depicts the emotion spilling from the souls of blues and jazz artists. Her work often relates to words from songs, things she reads on CD liners or music reviews. The words are written around the outside edges of her paintings. “I like the passion of music. I’m especially intrigued by the synergy between musicians, how they feed off of each other, create and interpret. I’m fascinated by the body language, the hands, and overall movement I intentionally distort proportions to bring certain elements up front. My goal is to make the paintings feel up close and personal.” The feel of the music drives the piece. Jean works quickly and with great intensity. She often works on many canvases at once. She builds her own stretcher frames in large quantities so she always has canvases ready when the inspiration hits her. “For me, painting is explosive, intuitive and very messy. I listen to lots of different musical styles while I work... as long as it is loud and energetic. The music shows up in my work both figuratively and literally. My brush strokes and my large canvas sizes are driven by the fact that I’ve got to stand up and move. The color intensity is really important too; the colors need to vibrate and show movement. I’m looking for an energy level. I want my paintings to feel loud.” Jean as been painting since she was very young. Artistic talent spans many generations in her family. She has wooden palettes and paint boxes from her great-grandmother. Jean’s early inspirations come from her mom (an oil painter) and her mom’s friends. Her dad taught her how to build stretcher frames. “It never dawned on me that having so many creative people in my life was not typical. Painting is like breathing it is just what I do. Even as a young child, I remember loving the smell of linseed oil and turpentine. The way that other little girls assumed they would get married and have kids, I just assumed I would be an artist.” She began formal art training at age 12. She showed work through the private art school and made her first real sale before she was officially a teenager. In high school and college and she developed an interest in theater design, painting huge backdrops for local theater companies. “Looking back, it surprises me that I was not afraid of failure. The first set I did was ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ which we did in the high school gym. We didn’t have a stage, so the backdrop spanned the entire length of the basketball court and went all the way to the ceiling. I guess that’s why a 7 foot canvas doesn’t intimidate me.” Most of all, it's all about having fun. Jean says she really enjoys doing research, musicians are lots more fun than fruits and vegetables. Background-
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Biography I Artist statement
