John Mason Research Paper

John Mason isn't your average ceramist. He does things with clay that no other ceramist would've pondered. By pushing clay past it's normal plasticity levels, Mason created extravagant sculptures. He also makes geometric sculptures, like one of his most famous clay pieces; the Red X. I chose John Mason because I found it impressive the way he thinks of and makes clay pieces. He believed that making an art piece was like dancing; sometimes you're taught how, but sometimes you improvise. Even though he was born in 1927 in Madrid, Nebraska; Mason was raised most of his life in Fallon, Nevada. After he graduated high school, he moved to Los Angeles, California in 1949 at age 22. There he enrolled at the Los Angeles Art Institute also now know …show more content…
It is a huge abstract and sculptural wall piece, known for its great mass. This challenging piece was started in 1957. It included Johns way of using the clays plasticity. Mason used heavy duty easels to create a flat surface on the floor for sculpting a multi-sectioned relief(piece of clay). Using plastic clay, he slammed heavy amounts of it onto the easels, imprinting the form with force of it's making, and extending them both horizontally and vertically. Negative spaces broke up composition of the piece, creating a rhythmic ripple throughout the clay. This one piece created a entirely new genre call ceramic walls. John quoted, " There were no prescriptions for any of this that I knew about. It was, do it and see if it works. And if it doesn't work, change it and make it work. But the whole question was unresolved; it was a challenge." The color of the Blue Wall was obviously blue, but there are many different shades from white to light blue, then going to a dark royal blue. The sculpture was so big, it had to be fired in sections and fitted together, but once it was all finished it would become one of the most famous ceramic sculptures. It was first shown at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1959, and has been moved to many different art galleries across the United …show more content…
Pushing it past it's plasticity levels and making whole news shapes really interested me. Some new techniques and skills I've learned for Mason is that you don't have to follow the rules of clay you can improvise and make different things by pushing and pulling the material. Things that I have learned about this artist influence is dance. He believes that the art of dance has significance the art of clay making. I really want to try sculpting things the way he does by pulling and shaping things. It's a whole new genre for me to learn and try other than just making