Biography

Stephen Von Mason (American, 1954 )

 1954 Born: South Bend, Indiana.

 1971 – 1972 Studied figure drawing at the University of Notre Dame,    South Bend, IN – college preparatory.

 1973 – 1977 Studied printmaking and painting at John Heron School of Art, BFA, Indianapolis, IN.

 1977 – 1979 Studied printmaking and painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, MFA, San Francisco, California.

 1981 – 1983 Taught at the University of California, Berkeley, California with the ASUC division.

 1991 Lectured at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA and the Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA.

 2002 Taught summer art school at Washington Elementary School, Oakland, CA.

 2003 Taught summer art school at Glenview Elementary School, Oakland, CA.

 2008 - 2022 Taught art at Making Waves Academy, Richmond, CA.

 2010 – 2011 Taught painting over the summer at the Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA.

 2012 Received an invitation from President Barack Obama to present his Art Program’s success with Making Waves Academy to the “President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities” at a Salon hosted by Pamela Joyner in San Francisco.Other presenters included Alfre Woodard, Theaster Gates, the Louis Vuittonfamily, and Pixar.

Artist Statement

I'm striving to make art that creates a response and evokes a challenge that is desperately needed. My stylized work revolves around showcasing excellence and promoting a cultural healing. There is a constant push for love and rebuilding in my work because of past mis happenings and an 

un-natural current setting. My imagery has intense color and a sense of emergency indicative of what is needed for rebuilding a cultural lobotomy. 

My figurative paintings attempt to push specific scenarios through subject matter that is provocative and sometimes uncomfortable. The act of painting for me is about problem solving, showcasing, story telling, and beauty. Equity and equality is a very important component in my community so I am always speaking to these elements and dynamic.

I have a strong connection with sculpture, architecture and structural engineering as much as I am connected to painters like Kerry James Marshall, Oliver Lee Jackson and Sandro Chia. Because I am an untold story teller and history painter, there is a strong need to produce paintings that reflect my passion. This will always be the case because it is what

moves me. Like in the film “Sankofa” it is imperative that I continue to pursue my purpose because the ancestors need to know that I am continuing this mission.

Artworks