Noah on a 40-Year Cruise - Alden Mason

Where is it?

South Satellite

Mason's painting is located on the east end of South Satellite.

About the Art

Noah on a 40-Year Cruise is an abstract painting composed of a series of thick squiggly horizontal lines that form an almost textile-like appearance. Woven within the texture of the surface are abstract figures and objects randomly placed without a groundline. These forms are colorfully contoured and reveal a vivacious and melodious narrative.

The Details

Artist

Alden Mason

Date

1973

Medium

Painting (acrylic on canvas)

Dimensions

6' 8" high x 6' 8" wide

Did you know?

This piece is the epitome of Mason's late signature style. To create this texture, he squeezed acrylic straight from the tube and onto the canvas surface.

About the Artist

Alden's paintings moved from highly abstract to figurative and then back to abstract late in his career. He was forced to switch to acrylic paint from oil due to an allergic reaction to the fumes. This resulted in obvious changes made to his style, from large and bright blotches of paint to densely colored and vibrating planes.

His work reflects all at once his Pacific Northwest upbringing, his interest in tribal cultures, and his love of bird-watching.

"My paintings are a private world of improvisation, spontaneity, humor and pathos, exaggeration and abandon. The images and shapes are often figurative, organic personal totem poles which in closer view become highly abstract." – Alden Mason

Short Bio

A native of Everett, Washington, Alden Mason is recognized as one of the most prestigious painters from the Pacific Northwest. Growing up surrounded by the ephemeral beauty of the Skagit Valley, Mason studied zoology at the University of Washington before receiving his B.F.A. in art. He returned to the UW to obtain his M.F.A. in 1947 and joined the faculty in 1949 to teach what he knew to Chuck Close and contemporaries. Alden Mason died at the age of 94 in 2013.

Similar Artwork

Work by Alden Mason

- Lunar Promenade: at the King County Administration Building, this piece is a nod to the rich history of visual artists of this region.

- Yellow Bird: a prime example of Mason’s experimentation with the squeeze bottle method of applying paint is on view at the Convention Center.

Noah on a 40-Year Cruise - Alden Mason

Sea-Tac Airport proudly displays a piece by one of the Northwest's most prolific and significant painters.