While some artwork is hung on walls, the artwork of interior design artist Jacqui Mason is often the wall itself. Mason skillfully transforms eggshell white walls into immersive landscapes; her fresco paintings serving as a focal point that can bring an entire room into a cohesive ensemble.
“Most of my work focuses on custom transformations, resurfacing the appearance of ordinary objects and walls with embellished finishes. I tailor each painting to the unique surroundings to create cohesion and design. It’s the most exciting and rewarding outlet for art that keeps me bursting with imagination,” Mason says with obvious excitement.
Mason’s ability to blend interior design with abstract art began at a young age, when she was encouraged to create eye-catching combinations of vintage objects at her mother’s shop. Before that, however, her works of art as a child were crayon drawings on bedroom walls.
“I’d have to credit my mother, who was a very stylish trend setter, for decorating. She put me to work early in her antique and consignment store. I would arrange areas for furniture displays and accompany her at auctions for finds which we would bring home to refurbish.”
She further credits the professors at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology for instilling within her the concepts of interior design, color theory, idea visualization, marketing and communications. Mason is proud to say that she is an FIT alumna, among such notable alumni as Tony Chi and Calvin Klein.
“Initially when I graduated from FIT, my first employment was at a prestigious package design company. This experience taught me that 90 percent of the reason someone buys a product is because of its packaging. I forwarded this concept when I joined a Mystic, Connecticut, real estate firm.”
As a real estate agent, she successfully combined her childhood antique shop experience with design-packaging skills. Her listings sold quickly because she had recognized that instead of showing empty rooms, ‘staging’ houses for would-be-buyers presented them in a more home-like setting. In 2005, her knack for packaging and staging homes quickly caught on.
“Other realtors would ask me to stage their listings and that was when I realized how much I enjoyed this aspect more than selling the homes,” says Mason, crediting the experience for changing her artistic direction.
The concept had also reignited her childhood passion for creating artwork on walls, with every wall becoming an open canvas.
Then as now, Mason attends workshops in Dallas, Sarasota, Chicago and Charlotte several times a year to keep her work fresh and to discover new products to further her wallscape mastery.
Back at her home studio, she experiments with new ideas and produces samples that can be shown to interested buyers.
Mason utilizes an endless range of plasters, delicate mica, metallics, glazes, resins and paper-thin marble. Her wallscapes are generously spread across the interior horizon to make the viewer feel as if they have stepped into the painting.
“Clients sometimes prefer a particular style and range of colors. Because of this, my work is extremely diverse, from rustic to contemporary. With so many different products and colors I can create wallscapes ranging from bold and bright to nuanced neutrals,” Mason explains.
“I love working with various textures and patterns. My tendency is to create serene coastal abstracts that mimic the calming movement of water, if a client doesn’t have a specific request.
The incredible beauty of nature never goes out of style.”
But before Mason can begin that magical room transformation, scaffolding, buckets of paint, plaster, various imported minerals and drop cloths must be carried to the site.
“My husband, Dave, is always there supporting me. He helps transport and set up scaffolding and supplies and assists cleaning trowels when I come home exhausted. It’s not easy being married to a mad scientist artist who runs her business,” she confesses.
“He is the first person to view my wallscapes or works on canvases and gives his honest opinion.”
Mason, who moved to Florida 20 years ago, says she enjoys listening to audio books to keep her company while painting. She plays tennis, relaxes by giving her sweet cat Willow belly rubs, and enjoys going to events and traveling with her husband.
“It’s been a gift to earn a livelihood doing what I love. I have been fortunate to combine my cumulative life experiences to create unique wall paintings,” Mason states.
“Vero Beach is surrounded with natural beauty and artistic opportunities. Vero is my home.”
She is a member of the International Decorative Artisans League, which offers classes in the most cutting-edge techniques and interior products. She is also a member of the Fort Pierce-based Faux Effects International, which she said changed the course of her artistic and professional life.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
