“AGELESSâ€Â   Photography and Mixed Media- PRESS RELEASE
March 29th to April 29th 2011
In her “Ageless†series, Linda Mason uses body paint to defy the signals of aging. In the vivid range of colors that pervades her artistic work, she uses thick, wet brushstrokes on the face and body. These acts transform her subjects, in this case, women over forty, and the surface of the skin becomes a living canvas subordinated to paint and color. Markers of age, exaggerated by our youth-obsessed society, lose their potency behind the mask of the paint.
At the same time, the energy of Mason’s models defies their own age as much as the paint. Mason has worked with many of these women (celebrities in their own right) in the past in the fashion industry. In her “Ageless†photographs, the same drive and motivation that existed within these women twenty years ago is still present. Mason concentrates on this inner fire while negating the importance of age, replacing exterior signs with heavy, vibrant strokes of color.
Linda Mason’s artistic career began with makeup. Since the late seventies, she has worked in the world of high fashion and beauty alongside the best in the industry. She became an influential force in her field for her innovative and creative work, particularly in magazines and runway shows. “Ageless†can be seen as a reflection of Mason’s familiarity with the world of fashion, not only in terms of her aesthetic, but also in her invalidation of the conventions of the industry.