“Art is a long journey of discovery”
Australian artist John N. Mason creates artworks that span both realism and abstraction, offering viewers a richly layered visual experience. His paintings range from expansive, imagined underwater worlds to intimate still-lifes, each piece inviting a moment of reflection and emotional engagement. Drawing heavily on his personal history, much of John’s marine-inspired work reflects his time as a member of the Broken Bay Game Fishing Club and, more significantly, the years he spent living, sailing, and snorkelling throughout the Whitsundays on the Great Barrier Reef.
John’s formal training began in 1963 at the prestigious Chelsea School of Art, Lime Grove, London. A few years later, in 1967, he emigrated to Australia and established a thriving career as a commercial illustrator in the advertising industry. With his retirement from client-driven work, John has embraced a new phase in his artistic journey—one defined by creative autonomy and exploration.
In his current practice, John is focused on a captivating series of imagined underwater landscapes. These works blend atmospheric abstraction with vivid colour and form, conveying both mood and motion. At the same time, he continues to produce detailed, smaller pieces, which are available through respected online galleries, including Saatchi Art, Bluethumb, and Art Lovers Australia. Notably, his Soundscape series offers a unique visual response to everyday sounds, into expressive works that resonate with both hearing and non-hearing audiences.
A small but meaningful detail to set John apart: the use of his middle initial “N.” This distinguishes him from other artists of the same name and reinforces his individual presence in the contemporary art world – a space where clarity of identity and artistic voice is essential.
Any day that I don’t paint or draw something – feels like a wasted day.
Commission an artwork by John
