Artist’s Corner: Marusa Mason

Marusa was born in Cape Town in 1970. As a child, she spent her formative years sailing around the world with her family on a yacht built by her father. As a free thinker, from a creative non-conformist family she absorbed the cultures, colours and light from the countries she was fortunate to visit. This served as the catalyst for her love of art. 

Marusa took lessons from outside the classroom as well as in them at the Michaelis School of fine arts at the University of Cape Town.  Marusa is a professional contemporary artist with a flair for ocean and underwater scenes. Her abstract art is impassioned by colour and she revels in a textured canvas. Her current subject matter, albeit sometimes hard to decipher, seldom strays from the human form, family, and the soul. She is also well known and sought after for her portraits. Her work has been bought by clients the world over and can be found in private collections in Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and North America.

Most notably her underwater oil paintings have been on display since 1996 in the famous Lassen Gallery in San Francisco. She has also commissioned works for the likes of Arnold Vosloo and Paul Houkes a well-known Dutch collector. In 2004 she had the wonderful honour of having one of her paintings of a Himba woman used for the front cover of an international best-selling novel named Sadie.

Due to her love of swimming and her competitive nature, Marusa followed a desire to become a triathlete. She raced Ironman three times and represented South Africa and the United Kingdom in the sprint and Olympic distance. During this time she focussed less on painting, however in 2015 she picked up the brushes with fervour again. We sat day with Marusa to get a feel for her art, and what makes her tick!! We hope you enjoy. Be sure to check out her website here.

1) Before we get started, tell us where you surf, what you surf and if you’re goofy or natural?

I’m still a newbie, but the few places that I have surfed are all in the western cape, namely, Muizenberg, Long beach and Strand. I surf natural…preferring the waves to not be too big just yet! The board I use is an 8-foot Mini-mal.

2) If you think back can you remember your the first piece of art you created?

The first painting that I created with the underwater theme was of two Orca whales. It was 1mx1m with very deep blues, I enjoyed the depth of the painting and working with glaze to create luminosity.

3) What are your favourite mediums & what kind of projects do you like working on?

I have worked in acrylic and mixed media, but my favourite has to be oil paint on canvas as it allows for lots of freedom in texture and application due to its long drying time. The sea theme reflects my love of the ocean. When I was a young child we sailed around the world on a yacht built by my father, visiting exotic places such as Tahiti, the Tongan islands and many other extraordinarily beautiful islands and atolls. Working on larger canvases especially when painting waves, which is my favourite theme, is exhilarating. Creating dolphin and whale paintings using tonal extremes to bring movement, drama and a focal point in the picture is also great fun.

4) Do you have a favourite work of Art?

It’s so hard to answer that question, but yes at the moment it is a large oil painting of Teahupoo which is over 1,2m across by 1m wide. It is very powerful and really captures the awesome strength of the wave.

5) Tell us a little bit more about your work, something we might not know.

I also paint portraits and enjoy abstract work as well. The abstracts are very bright and highly textured. Usually, I use large brushes and also allow the paint a bit of freedom by letting it run down the face of the canvas. This is done with the addition of glossy enamel paint which adds another dimension to the piece.

6) Any exhibitions planned?

I recently had an exhibition in Erinvale in Somerset West, so right now I’m busy with a company designing a new website which will be directly linked to a payment gateway to facilitate national and international transactions.

7) From where, or whom, do you draw your inspiration?

One cannot help but be inspired by God’s creation be it in nature or the human form. Vivid colours and texture excite me, also the play of light and how it changes all the time. Perusing art galleries or looking at books of other artists work is always inspiring.

8) Why art, why does it interest you?

Picking up a paintbrush and squeezing paint onto a canvas is therapeutic and relaxing, sometimes it’s hard work but mostly it’s just awesome.

9) Dream project?

Getting a commission to do a wave painting at least 3m across!

10) Do you have a favourite artist?

Picasso is right up there but other favourites include Chagall, Pollock and Bacon. Their boldness and fearlessness is inspiring. Also van Gogh, his generosity in the application has taught me a lot. It would also be epic to include a shot of you surfing if you have one, as well as any other pieces of work.

Win one of Marusa’s paintings:

Fancy hanging up one of these truly beautiful paintings in your home? Of course you do, who wouldn’t. Her art speaks volumes. The painting below is up for grabs and all you have to do is get creative and give the painting a name. That’s it. No frills, no fuss. Marusa will then pick a winner and make one lucky person’s day and home that much more special. 

How to enter:

Simple, give the painting below a name. Once you have drummed up what you think will be the winning name, drop it in the comments section below along with your email address so Marusa can contact you, if you are the chosen one! 

Rules:

One entry per person!

That’s it, good luck 🙂

Like what you see? Then do not hesitate to contact Marusa at –  marusa.mason@gmail.com