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Martha Mason grew up in a small town in southern California in the early fifties
where the dry landscape and clear colors found expression in her art. Says
Mason: “In making art I want to create a feeling of atmosphere that relates to
the way I see the world: all things beautifully mysterious and melting…during
the process I am looking for windows of space to open up as I build layers.
These windows make possible the tension in the space and add to the ambiguity
and the sense of transparency that I love; they unite strong construction and
lyrical atmosphere.”
Martha studied art at UCLA and the University of Illinois in Urbana where she
earned a BFA in painting in 1970 and an MFA in painting in 1975. While at the
University of Illinois she became excited about working in collage under the
influence of a Kurt Schwitters travelling show. Martha saw collage as “the art
of the possible.” With a post-graduation move back to the Bay Area, Mason
began to show her work, gaining a successful review by Charley Simmons for
“Art Week.”
Martha has taught art at the University of Illinois, University of Wyoming and
Weimar College and Academy. She is currently assistant professor of art at Walla
Walla College in Walla Walla, Washington.
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