Gregory Mason

Gregory Mason lives and works in Exeter, U.K. He studied at Saint Martin's School of Art, London 1979–1983 and became an academician of the South West Academy in 2017.

Mason's practice sits within the inherited traditions of landscape and figurative painting, whilst remaining dedicated to exploring the possibilities of contemporary mark-making. Concerned with capturing the character of a particular place or personality, Mason belongs to an impressive lineage of realist artists, including Gwen John, James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Lucian Freud, for whom authenticity in relation to the subject was key.

Working both from the studio and in the open air, Mason works in oil on linen, loosely constructing and deconstructing each painting several times over in order to locate in paint the moment that captures the essential poetry of his chosen subject. Working in this way lends a freshness to the application of paint and allows for an immediacy in responding to light and shade.

A recent finalist in the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2018, and semi-finalist in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2017,  Mason was selected by Kate Bryan (Head of Collections, Soho House) as one-to-watch from Saatchi's 2017 'Top 130' emerging artists.

He has been included in numerous group exhibitions, including The Affordable Art Fair, London; South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts; Hybrid Gallery, Honiton; Scotland.art, Glasgow; and Corte Real Gallery, Portugal. His studio, 'Hope Hall in Exeter, is run as a community arts venue offering art classes, musical events, studios and exhibition space.