‘… clay under my fingernails for over five decades’
Artist Sue Mason of Monmouth is known for her ceramics and pottery. Mason’s exhibits have appeared locally at River Gallery in Independence and at the Cannon Gallery at Western Oregon University. Posted below are photos of other pieces she crafted. Photo by Lance Masterson
One of multi-talented artist Sue Mason’s most prized possessions is a signed photo from the world’s most beloved rodent.
This particular story takes place years ago when she and late husband Harold Mason, an acclaimed artist in his own right, lived in Carmel, California.
“Harold convinced me I should enter a piece in the Monterey (County) Fair, which I did. I got best of show for one of my pots. Disneyland, at this point, was going around California and taking the best of shows from every county fair. They were for an exhibit at Disneyland.”
Which is why Mickey Mouse ventured north. At the time, Sue Mason was teaching middle school art at a private school in Carmel Valley. One day the school held an assembly.
“Well, Mickey called me on stage, had my pot with its blue ribbon, the largest blue ribbon I ever saw, and gave me a kiss on my cheek. So that was my 15 minutes of fame, right?,” she said. “Later, he sent me an autograph copy of him holding my pot. Saying, you know, ‘Love, Mickey’.”
Flash forward some 40 years and Mason is known locally, in part, for her window exhibits at River Gallery in Independence. One of her pieces was included in the gallery’s recent “Wild Women - Celebrating Women” art show.
Photo by Lance Masterson
Mason has produced paintings, etchings, prints and other forms during her long career. She is also known for making, collecting and redecorating chairs while also venturing into Day of the Dead tradition by crafting a Tree of Life, figures and other related items.
Still, Mason is best known for her ceramics. Local residents may also have seen her art displayed at Western Oregon University.
“In the fall of 2018, Harold and I engaged as an artist couple in our first collaborative show of work” at the Cannon Gallery, she stated. “It was a magical moment for me … Never had we exhibited as an artist team before.”
Mason’s ceramics aren’t only beautiful; they’re useful.
“I make functional art. Everything from tea pots to sugar bowls,” she said, noting one man came up to Harold during a show and told him, “I have my morning cereal in one of your (wife’s) bowls every morning.”
Mason’s high-fire porcelain ware is influenced by the folk pottery and Faience traditions of Portugal, France and Italy. Two masters influenced her brush work.
“My watercolor painting style is inspired by my love of the art works of Raoul Dufy and Henri Matisse,” she elaborated. “Duffy, with his free and easy brushstrokes and gentle color, was my most dominant influence.”
Mason works primarily on the potter’s wheel and generally makes one of a kind pieces.
“Each of my work is hand-thrown and hand painted directly on the finished forms,” she said. “My aim is to inject joy, lightness and humor along with happiness into each piece I make. If I can bring a smile to the faces of the viewers, then in my mind, my work is successful.”
Photo by Lance Masterson
For 20-plus years, Sue drew inspiration from Hopi and Zuni tribes of the Southwest. This love first blossomed while the couple lived in California and continued after a move to New Mexico.
Her direction changed dramatically after she and Harold traveled to Santa Barbara to visit family.
“My daughter took me antiquing. I found a platter from Italy in blue and white, which I still have on my kitchen wall,” she said. “For the next 15 years, I did just blue and white. I just enjoyed it immensely, and it sold well. But now I’m doing more colorful pieces.”
The Masons decided on a more nomadic lifestyle once their nest was empty.
“We decided that once our (two) children were out of school and on their own, that we would do some traveling,” she said.
This decision led to residencies in New Mexico, Maine and then - some 20 years ago - Monmouth. The Masons always found artistic inspiration in their surroundings. One of her favorite spots here is along the banks of the Willamette River.
Mason signed up for her first ceramics class in 1965, at a community college in Santa Rosa, California. It was here where Mason learned the basics of pottery: how to wedge clay, center it on a potter’s wheel and form it into shape.
“I have lovingly had clay under my fingernails for over five decades now,” she said.
Her first studio was next to the water heater in the garage. Her second studio, this one in Carmel, was also in the garage, but even smaller. It was so small she had to open its doors in order to have room to work. But it was in these studios where Mason began creating fetish pots, hand-burnished vessels decorated with objects inspired by Native American cultures of the Southwest.
Studio space has not been an issue since the Masons moved to Monmouth. The lower floor of the house is large enough for two studios. Harold’s space is larger and this is where Sue teaches art students and hosts workshops.
“I love clay, and I love to let people know about how easy it is to work with clay and how forgiving it is,” she said.
