Artwork copyright Alden Mason. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alden Mason. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Alden Mason. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Pizarro's Folly, 1981

Alden Mason
(American, born 1919, died 2013)

Location: Arlington Elementary School, Spokane

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Pizarro's Folly by Alden Mason is a highly textured and patterned painting from his Squeeze Bottle series. During the 1980s, Mason mainly used squeeze bottles of acrylic paint to create his paintings. He liked working with squeeze bottles because the paint was like an extension of his arm. The bottles let him create long, fluid lines without having to stop to re-load paint onto a brush. Mason was known for experimenting, and he refused to use paint and paintbrushes in traditional ways.

Mason's travels to Mexico and Central America influenced his imagery during the 1980s. His paintings often include designs and patterns that are similar to the intricate, geometric patterns of fabrics and rugs from those areas.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Spokane School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist and teacher Alden Mason (1919-2013) created paintings and murals characterized by their inventive figures and expressive forms. During his life, his style moved from abstract to figurative and back again.

Born in Everett, Northwestern Washington, Mason received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. He went on to teach painting at the University of Washington from 1949 until 1981. His paintings are in many museums, including the Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Northwest Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), and Milwaukee Art Museum. He had solo shows at the Seattle Art Museum in 1986 and 2011, as well as a solo exhibition "Alden Mason: Fly Your Own Thing" at the Bellevue Arts Museum in 2021.