John Mason was born in Madrid, Nebraska, in 1927. He studied art at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles from 1949 to 1952 and again from 1955 to 1956; and he studied at the Chouinard Art Institute also in Los Angeles from 1953 to 1954. In 1957 he established a ceramic studio with Peter Voulkos. .
Both artists pushed the boundaries of ceramics to the outer limits to break the field wide open. During the late 1950's and 1960's, Mason belonged to a group of free-form or abstract expressionists. His early work consisted of pieces that were massive and energetic. Mason's huge, rough pots, walls, monumental rectangles, "x" shapes and crosses are a testament to his vitality and artistry.
Mason created sculpture with little regard to utility and function, focusing mainly on form and elasticity of the clay. He used torque and rhythm to twist the various planes of his pieces through space. While complex in their spatial existence, Mason's work retained refinement and grace.
During the 1970's, Mason used firebrick in a series of restrained minimalist pieces that retained a richness of color and depth of form. Throughout the 1980's until the present, Mason has twisted geometry around in his series of Torque vessels. He wed the vibrancy of his early work to geometric restraint of firebrick installations to create new totemic sculptures.
Surfaces have always been important to Mason. Whether rough or smooth, incredibly tactile surfaces are balanced by the huge scale of his pieces to create a unified force. The surfaces of the sculptures glow with an inner light that intensifies dimensional movement. Fired in earth tones that reflect the source of their medium, the pieces have a transcendent aura.
John Mason is a pioneering ceramist who continues to surprise as he invents new forms in clay. He continues to take his audience on an interlocking journey through space.