| Angie Mason | |
| Birth name | Angela Jean Mason |
| Born | May 22, 1973 Northern New Jersey |
| Field | Painting,Sculpture,drawing |
| Works | Life Sore Spores Sour Loser (In A Bit of a Pickle) Deceit Tree |
| Influenced by | Hieronymus Bosch Dreams Tom Waits Surrealism Expressionism Life |
| Awards | NJ Council on the arts - Excellence in the Arts Award 1991 |
Contents |
American artist Angie Mason became a part of this world in 1973 in Northern New Jersey born to factory-worker parents. Her Mother Jeanne was a weaver at an artistic label loom factory and her father Vincent was a cookie dough dumper in a cookie factory. Angie also has 3 sisters, one older and two younger siblings from her mothers second marriage. Angie's parents divorced when she was 11 and so continued the upheaval in her early life living with her father she was uprooted many times during her younger years growing up all over New Jersey and other places such as Florida and Puerto Rico.She lived with her father for the rest of her schooling till after high school graduation she then left New Jersey to attend Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.
During her Junior year of high school in 1990 Mason attends the Summer Arts Institute of New Jersey where she spent 2 months of focused studies in Painting, Photography and Writing. This experience also allowed her to interact with many other artist peers with whom she developed life long friendships with including her childhood friend and artist Christina Graf.
In the Fall of 1991 Angie began her college studies for the first two years at Parsons. During her first year at school while living in New York City Mason meets life long friend Lori Earley who was living in the same building while attending the School Of Visual Arts. Angie spent the first year in Parson's foundation program then choosing to major in painting in the fine art department where she finished her sophomore year in sheer disappointment of academic life and decided to quit school for several years after also having many financial hardships. She took about two years off from her schooling working at an art supply store and regrouping. It is during this time at the art supply store she met her Husband Lyle Briggs.
Mason came to the decision that she would reapply to Parsons but under the Illustration department. Many of her foundation peers have had successful times with that program and felt her tendency toward more representational, characterization within her work would be better suited in that program. At the time she was in college the fine art department was very minimal and conceptual putting down any of her attempts to be representational. She found a much better fit to help nurture her sensibilities and grow as an artist within the Illustration Department . She graduated with a B.F.A. in 1997
From 1998-2001 Angie held several different Design/Art director jobs where she utilized her love of characters designing many different characters for the numerous commercial web companies she worked for. All the while she continued to make her personal work and in 2001 she had her first solo showing in Hoboken N.J. just months before 9/11. This really laid the groundwork of her exhibition history. It was this moment that acted as a catalyst that would be the beginning of many many shows both group and solo.
In March 2004 just on the brink of many big group shows she was taking part in she suffered a terrible accident where someone broke and nearly severed her left thumb leaving her unable to use her left hand which was her dominant hand to make art with. She went through long bouts of therapy which left her frustrated with her current situation and depressed. It was then where she really pushed herself to learn how to work using her right hand since she had such a strong desire and need to make art. She currently is back to working with her left hand but now feels she is in a better place having the right hand back up and she said"it has really come in handy when my left hand gets tired from the permanent nerve damage suffered in the left hand."
In late 2005 Angie meets Gallery Director and Owner of Strychnin Gallery Yasha Young, online corresponding through email. The two meet officially in person in early 2006 marking the beginning of Angie's working relationship with Yasha Young and Strychnin Gallery.
In May 2006 Angie held her second Solo showing of works in an exhibition entitled 'HouseBroken' at ArtStar Gallery in Philadelphia. Later that year she also has another Solo show in Seattle entitled 'Delectable Demons' at Schmancy Gallery.
In July 2007 marked Mason's first international Solo Show in Berlin Germany at Strychnin Gallery. Her body of work she produced for this exhibit was entitled 'Life Sore Spores'. There is a specialized artist statement she wrote for this show as she has done with all her shows. Most of her art statement essays can be found on her website or on her memory jar journal blog.
2008 proved to be another productive year and full of travel for the artist. Beginning early on in the year Angie took her first trip to France in Cannes for the Fusion Five Festival put together by Strychnin Gallery hosted at Hotel 3*14. This was another unique experience for the artist much like her time spent at the summer program where she lived day and night with all artists. This experience helped foster and grow new and existing relationships she had with other artist peers of hers such as Kristen Ferrell, David Hochbaum and David Stoupakis to name a few.
Through out the year Mason participated in many more group shows before heading down to Atlanta Georgia where she put together her next solo showing of work titled ' Murky Menagerie { Paintings of a Morose & Unsociable Nature}' which was exhibited at artist's Bethany Marchman's Gallery Rabbit-Hole Gallery. Currently, Angie is living in a spooky old house in Northern, New Jersey with her Husband and their very bad kitty Nervil.
Mason's works are exhibited Nationally throughout the United States and Internationally having had solo exhibits in Berlin Germany as well as many groups shows all over Europe,Canada and Asia. Her paintings are strong in color and character heavy concepts. In Mason’s paintings she creates a visual playground where she deals with the human condition and emotions through the use of creating slightly off quirky characters that are beautifully rendered yet have a painterly hand and an innocent raw touch.
There is a childlike charm within her works mixed with a dark side that make her seemingly cute characters also twisted, moody bruised souls. Mason's use of light and dark play a perfect balance on this see-saw of a visual ride. Her melancholy menagerie of characters and worlds are a funny, whimsical, dark and tragic view at the wonderful mess of life.
Angie's character driven works are tales of modern life dreamed up and twisted into a colorful yet dark world. Her works are direct reactions to her life and the world around her through the artists eyes exposing an inner world that is playful yet brutal.
| ===SOLO SHOWS===
September 2008:The Rabbit-Hole Gallery Atlanta, Georgia - MURKY MENAGERIE GROUP SHOWS2009 January 2009: MF Gallery - Genova Italy Group Show 2008
January 2008: Kenneth Chapman Gallery - NY DeepPop 2007
December 2007: Feinkunst Krüger - Hamburg, Germany Don't Wake Daddy 2 -Group show 2006
December 2006:Strychnin Gallery NYJL Charity Event NYC 2005
December 2005:Feral Gallery,Santa Fe,New Mexico -Art Party Show 2004
September 2004:BlackCat Gallery,Los Angeles,Ca - Vicious: A Group Show 2003-1990
February 2003 : The Be Gallery, Asbury Park NJ - Valentine's Day Group Show
Selected PressOfficial Artist Press Kit
See also
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