Fiona 1987

Frank Mason made "Fiona" with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is the controlled chaos of the brushstrokes. It's like he's wrestling with the paint, trying to pin down a likeness, but the paint has its own ideas. Look at the way the gold decoration on her dress shimmers against the dark fabric. It’s thick and juicy, applied with visible, confident strokes, a real sense of the material's physicality. The backdrop has an atmospheric quality, achieved through layering and blending. You can almost feel the air moving around her. Now, check out the way he's captured her hair; it's a loose, gestural scribble, but somehow it becomes radiant and full of life. I can't help but think of John Singer Sargent when I see this. Mason's got that same ability to capture a likeness with a kind of bravura brushwork. Ultimately, it’s not about getting it "right," but about embracing the unpredictable, beautiful mess of paint itself.