Madara Mason

Alaskan artist working from a studio in the far North.

[madarastudio]

Traveling a lot for work these days but I’m still practicing :) #artisapractice #recenteringgravity (at Fairbanks, Alaska) https://www.instagram.com/p/CltwrMlp1ML/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[madarastudio]

Taped down into a bed of epoxy clay. Once it’s cured, I’ll use colored grout to round out the shape of the face and creat contrast where it needs more. #princeart #artisapractice #mosaicart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdn7ZIlr78V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[madarastudio]

Testing something new but also returning to my roots in portraiture #prince #artisapractice https://www.instagram.com/p/CdgUB_jlC1S/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[madarastudio]

I was going to share some of my new progress in mosaics but I decided to share my hilariously and objectively awful first attempt instead. I encourage embracing failure (“growth mindset”) as a way to make progress. I think we should all persist in the face of failure if we want to master something even if it takes forever. A growth mindset is hard won and it’s painful to let people in and see our imperfect first attempt. Or our imperfect 99th attempt. We don’t have to internalize our failed challenges. A bad painting doesn’t make me a bad artist or a bad person. 1,000 bad paintings doesn’t either. So many people stop making art because they compare their work to the masters. “I don’t have any talent”. What does that mean? That you’re not perfect out of the gate? That you don’t have a desire? I challenge all of us to rethink the idea that one should only try if perfection can be reached quickly. Go ahead, try sucking at something for a long time. Try persisting. Try being bad at stuff! #artisapractice #humanityisapractice https://www.instagram.com/p/CSuOmSkFo9j/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

Making a fairly simple table top and learning a lot from my mistakes: make sure you have enough tiles; build up layers for shallow tiles; sanded and unsanded grout behave differently; but mosaics are generally forgiving of mistakes. There’s something very appealing about the permanence of cementing one thing to another. #mosaicart #beachlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CSmdbpmFlhF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

I just go all of this in the mail…but I’m supposed to be preparing for a workshop tomorrow…I can call in sick I guess. #mosaictiles #smalti #mosaicart https://www.instagram.com/p/CSdMb4FFvNA/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

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A rainy Saturday in the studio with what I think is a rendition of Jon of Arc #joanofarc #artwork_in_studio https://www.instagram.com/p/CSScbuXBM5o/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

I want to give her forearms and hands and a sword. She might be Joan of Arc #joanofarc #artisapractice #mosaicsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CSSbAF0hskX/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

It’s easy for me to get out of bed at 4am when I’m excited about what I’m working on. #artisapractice #mixedmediaart https://www.instagram.com/p/CSMy0Gblsuo/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

#beforeandafter #plasticsurgery #mixedmediasculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CSLeob1rku8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

More experiments in mosaics. This time using something called epoxy clay as the adhesive/grout #mosaicart #mixedmediasculpture @calamityware https://www.instagram.com/p/CSC76X-BSzU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

I like it but I have no idea what I’m doing with grout so I’m afraid to grout it. Some earlier experiments I made with grout were…less than successful #artandfear #mosaicart #mosaic https://www.instagram.com/p/CSAh1pUpUWL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

Something new #artisrevision #remixit https://www.instagram.com/p/CR8BxIMrCZ3/?utm_medium=tumblr

[madarastudio]

Building mechanical strength into a piece that 1) demands adding new threads due to the length of the piece and 2) will be under regular tension while taking it on and off, is beyond my current skill set. This is the SIXTH time this piece has come apart and needed repair! #artisapractice #masteryrequiresfailure https://www.instagram.com/p/CNFwxeFjuto/?igshid=jvrnl2jz2q19

[madarastudio]

So I was trying to get to sleep last night and I see this strangle mottled light on my wall almost like moonlight being filtered through trees and a curtain, which is physically impossible on that wall. Being raised in the south, of course ghosts are the first place my brain goes....until I remember that I used glow in the dark paint on a few of these pieces for some added magic. Mission accomplished. #artisapractice #bigmagic #notaghost https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKTTYljcdD/?igshid=nilznpy6yvml

[madarastudio]

All I could find were #crayola watercolors and pencils. Chicken drawn while relaxing next to the coop this morning. #artisapractice #hawaii https://ift.tt/2UfGRMw

[madarastudio]

Joy for a Southern girl, living in Alaska and enjoying a poorly timed vacation in Hawaii...#boiledpeanuts #mahalo https://ift.tt/3b5MuDQ