Park Row Gallery News

"Light and Astigmatism," a solo exhibition of oil paintings by Roger Mason will be on view at Park Row Gallery in Chatham, NY from June 11th - July 31st. There will be a memorable reception with the artist on Saturday, July 10th from 4pm-6pm, and the public is cordially invited to attend.

“Light and Astigmatism” features approximately 20 vivid paintings of the local region in Roger Mason’s polychromatic style, where the color of light and shadow are painted through the prism of the artist’s visceral experience. While deeply engaged in the present, Mason’s work evokes the past by abstracting the essence of small town scenes that he’s drawn to. It’s almost as though he stops time through the strength of his gaze, and leaves the viewer with an
immutable impression of a solitary place, as if it were a revelation.

As the writer James Gerald Croghan notes in an article on Mason, “ Perhaps unwittingly, and certainly without guile, Mason has become the chronicler of small-town life in Upstate New York, where an urban sensibility interfaces amiably with the last vestiges of rural America. He likely fell into this role because he paints directly from experience. In a real sense, painting is his experience.”

Mason is infatuated with color, but in love with light. Indeed, he pursues light from dawn to dusk, and even chases it into the night when he sees some radiant neon sign hanging in front of an ageless theater or bar, lighting up a darkened street corner. The artist says he’s drawn to these old world scenes because they remind him of the places he played in during his years as a musician. But he’s also intrigued with the distorted perception of color one experiences at night, and challenged by the desire to illuminate his canvas with electric pinks, reds and oranges pulsing against a sapphire blue sky on a summer night. For a painter-musician, that’s probably as close to jazz or the blues as one can see.

“Joe’s Tavern,” “Slattery’s,” and “Hudson Opera House,” are a few titles of paintings in the exhibition at Park Row Gallery in Chatham, and refer to local places that Mason has captured and commemorated for posterity. Joe’s Tavern in Hudson no longer exists, but Slattery’s in East Chatham certainly does. Indeed, the artist calls it “a shrine,’ and has painted it several times. He recalls buying a pair of shoes there nearly 20 years ago and has rich memories of the general store. As an aside, Mason quietly muses that sometimes he thinks he paints these places “to keep time from moving forward.”

Occasionally there are people in Mason’s paintings that seem to personify a reflective state of introspection. And there are objects, like an old car or mailbox, that act as characters to deepen his dialogue with history. A blend of abstract expressionism and realism, the artist paints large, luscious fields of light, blinding and overexposed at times, as if he’s searching for some miracle or mystery in the shadows. But there are details too – a striped awning, American flag, “Fresh Eggs” sign, Pepsi Cola bottle dispenser, barbershop pole, 1951 Chevrolet – that create a rich narrative and poignantly remind us of country life in this slow moving, but rapidly vanishing, American landscape.

Roger Mason sets up his easel and paints on street corners all over the world, but still calls Chatham, NY his home. He studied art at Pratt, yet had an inherent talent for music too, and found a way to pursue both passions by steering clear of the mainstream marketing machines and forging his own path. His paintings adorn the homes and offices of many music and film celebrities, as well as the CEO’s of ATT, Sony, Ford Motor Company, Time Warner, Ebay, Goldman Sachs and others. Mason has exhibited his paintings as far and wide as Paris, Buenos Aires, Corsica, Telluride, Santa Fe, Naples, New Orleans, La Jolla, Holland, Tokyo, Tahiti, Cuba, Key West, New York City and Chatham. As a famous art dealer once said about Roger Mason, “He is his own show.” Visit the artist's website at www.rogermason.net