Getting High on Paint

Well, “yes” – as much as possible on the art-making process that is.

Since you’re here, you likely have an appreciation for fine horse art.

Maybe you’re looking for a dynamic piece of original artwork for a contemporary space you’re planning, something that stands out and is out of the ordinary.

Because you’re not interested in the same-old art everyone else seems to collect-you prefer art that makes a daring statement and will be a conversation starter.

If this is you, you’re in the right place.

I think you’ll find something here to love:

• Powerful + moving original horse paintings.

• Striking, statement-making paintings that work well in any interior, from traditional to modern

• Gestural, colorful abstractions that make interiors sing

• Beautiful selection of Limited-edition prints of the horse

How it all started

My youth was spent dreaming about horses, wanting my own horse, coloring them, drawing them. In first grade, I was the wee-little girl sitting at her desk, hand stretched as high in the air as I could possibly get it without my butt leaving the seat, because we were good like that. Waving frantically “pick me, pleeeaaase pick me.” The art teacher’s pet – that was me. The child driving my parents mad every birthday and Christmas begging “please can I get a horse, I promise I’ll take care of it better than I did the gerbil.” “No Missy, we just don’t have the room.” Ohh, the frustration.

Time passes, growing up, a marriage, moving to Florida, my first horse, lose the husband, keep the horse, start painting and the rest is history.

Oh, did I mention that I’m also a Registered Nurse? This is the job that allowed me the finances to hone my skills to become a full-time artist. And adds mad healing skills for all your decorating ailments.

A little bit of shameless self-promotion

My artwork has the good fortune of being collected by some colorful collectors. Such as a movie producer, doctors, a lawyer, accountants, interior designers, and a sports franchise owner (names not revealed to protect the innocent). These horse painitngs can also be found in The Hilton, Wells Fargo, and museum collections. But wait – there’s more, but I won’t bore you. My full bio is at the bottom of this page.

So the addiction grows

I started out my art practice doing portraits of horses. Finding this tediously boring and non-creative, I started exploring other styles of painting. This search led me to an abstract-expressionist mentor. One of the first exercises we did was using movement from our body to make marks on the surface with a large brush with arm extended straight out. The mark I made was just a simple, large black swipe across a 4 ft piece of paper taped to the wall. But the movement contained in that mark captivated me. I was addicted. This is it – this energy is what I wanted to bring to my work!

And I’ve been in pursuit of that energy ever since.

My goal

is to transfer this energy into my work, whether representational or nonrepresentational.

Turning water into wine

All the planets and stars have aligned for me to live, breath and finally be able to combine my two passions-art and horses. So if you’re ready for a piece of this truly inspired art…

Call me

Or email. I would more than happy to answer any questions you have about anything you see here or discuss your ideas for a custom piece.

Melissa
386 295 0035
info@melissamason.me

P.S. And if you’ve made it this far, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter!

What a few collectors have to say

“I was looking through the magazine "Mountain Living" when I first saw Melissa’s art. I fell in love with it! We are building a Mountain Contemporary home in the Lake Tahoe area and thought it would be perfect in our new home! Being that it is an original art piece made it even more special for us! We loved the beautiful colors and the contemporary abstract feel to her beautiful painting and knew it would be a stunning piece featured in our home. We have shared her painting with our friends and family in hopes that we can bring more of her work to our area. Melissa shows her energy and passion through her paintings that resonates into a beautiful piece of art that we will enjoy for many years to come. Thank you for sharing your work!” -Sandra &Cliff Chase

“As an avid equestrian and an interior designer I always think of Melissa Mason and her art as my go to for my clients. Her work is modern, yet earthy and her grasp of color is beautiful.Her large-scale paintings are absolutely gorgeous and always work well in any interior from traditional to modern.She will also go the extra mile to paint commissions to go with any color scheme and has an excellent eye for scale and installation. Love working with her.”-Kairen

Statement

Creating beauty and order out of chaos, I find it endlessly challenging and fulfilling to start with randomness and then follow it to see where it leads me.  Chance happenings are both catalyst and guide.  Alternating between calculated drawing and gestural mark-making; focused exploration and spontaneous experimentation; thoughtful color placement and impulsive splashes of paint, I explore the balance between extremes. These paintings, a record of that dialogue, meld my innate need to create with a desire to evoke a visceral response in the viewer.