Ian Mason’s ever-evolving minimal paintings of canines will be featured in his first one-man show, The Essential Dog. His genius lies in his ability to expertly capture each breed’s anatomy with very few brushstrokes and at the same time perfectly capture the personality unique to each breed. He is always pushing the envelope with new experiments in minimal painting.

The November exhibition continues Mason’s deconstruction and reconstruction of the dog portrait. His work references 18th and 19th century portraits, combined with found-image appropriation from old books, photographs & video stills.

Always approaching his work intellectually, Mason uses the edges of the canvas and empty space act as a cropping device while retaining the characteristic layered monochrome mark-making for each breed. “Minimal treatment of the Canine subject maybe, but I’m a strong believer that less is more,” says Mason.

Not surprisingly, Mason is in many important collections including collections of 19th century art as well as sporting art collections.

Born in Brighton, East Sussex, UK, in 1972 his formal education included a degree in Fine Art (Sculpture) and a post-graduate diploma in Interior Design. He currently lives and works in Cornwall.