Artist Feature: Alexandra Masson

In August 2012 I had the fortune of being interviewed by a wonderful online art magazine called Liquorice. I loved the questions I was asked because they gave me the opportunity to pinpoint more aspects about myself. Here is the link to the page with the interview. Hope you enjoy reading it!

https://liquorice-blog.blogspot.com/2012/08/alexandra-masson-was-born-in-england.html

24/08/2012

Artist Feature: Alexandra Masson

Alexandra Masson was born in England but only stayed here for 6 weeks before being taken to Madrid, Spain where she lived for 2 years and then moved on to Buenos Aires, Argentina. At just 13 years old she left Argentina to live in Venezuela (with a two year stint in London in 1988). With no formal training in art Masson says she is "always suprised and a little bit shocked when my artwork is accepted in a salon," and that her only regret in life is not having a degree in Fine Art. Instead of art, Masson studied Biology, Law and  English-Spanish simultaneous interpretations and translations, which is how she currently makes her living. Art began for Masson, as it often does for others, as a means to expressing bottled up feelings that couldn't be related in any other way, and learning through short art and photography courses. Masson's art is bold and vivid and full of bright colour. These mixed media, edited, collage paintings are a joy to behold, and almost look like optical illusion art; the abstract positioning of paper and paint, enhanced digitally creates a tangled maze containing unintentional imagery. LIQUORICE has been lucky enough to have this wonderfully insightful and profound interview with Alexandra Masson! Read on for more...

Tell LIQUORICE a little more about yourself:

In his book called "Peace is the Way", Deepak Chopra states that the inner is reflected in the outer. This thought has moved me profoundly and has led me to countless hours of daydreaming trying to elucidate the ramifications and repercussions of such a simple but mind-blowing statement. The rubbish we see outside of us is a reflection of the rubbish inside. We humans are torn by two conflicting forces, eros (the life-affirming force) and thanatos (the death and destruction-seeking force). I know it because I see it in my family, in my friends and in myself. Creation and destruction are always present, inside and outside. When we manage to turn our destructive impulses into creative ones, we will all be better off, because we will have attained unity within ourselves and therefore outside of ourselves. Nature mirrors this conflict that is inside of us. 

Turning trash into art is my personal way of trying to turn my trash into something beautiful, as my tiny contribution or grain of salt towards living in more harmonious surroundings. Perhaps it is also a way of domesticating the beast, the beast meaning the dark side in me… Beauty has always been important to me. A great philosopher once said that beauty is truth. I would like to explore that thought more deeply and really understand what it means.  I want to create art from things that already exist, by transforming them and revealing what is hidden from others. My astrological sign is Sagittarius, a sign of fire. Fire destroys in order to clear space for creation. Fire also keeps us warm and cozy. Fire kills germs and bacteria, thereby protecting us from unseen threats. Fire has a dual nature, so to speak, the creative and the destructive sides.

What medium/s do you use in your work? 

I use paint and photographs and software to modify my photos. I originally began with rejected materials and have taken that up once again, painting used pizza boxes and adding words cut from newspapers and broken jugs, etc.

What or who inspires you the most? 

I used to be inspired by romantic love and love lost but lately I am more interested in evoking moods in other persons and also creating art and listening to the interpretation other persons have of it... as a way to fathom other people´s minds, to be amused by the interpretation other persons have of the art I produce. I guess this means that I am inspired by how people feel and interpret what they see...

Who is your favourite artist ever and why?! 

My favorite artist ever used to be Vincent Van Gogh but recently I have switched to Gerhard Richter because he intervened photographs with paint, which eventually evolved to his current abstract paintings, which I find reminiscent of Monet's lily pond. 

What's your favourite colour and why? 

I have several favourite colors: all shades of pink, all shades of purple including lavender and lilac and aquamarine blue.