Mohegan Harbor 1997

Frank Mason made this painting of Mohegan Harbor with what looks like oil paint, and a real gusto for capturing light and movement. What grabs me first are these short, choppy brushstrokes. It feels like Mason is wrestling with the scene, trying to pin down the fleeting nature of light on water. The colors are mostly in this moody, atmospheric range of blues and greens, which gives the whole piece this feeling of drama, like a storm's just rolled through. And check out the way he builds up the paint in layers, especially in the waves. You can almost feel the texture of the water, the way it crashes and foams. It's like he's not just painting what he sees, but what he feels standing there, facing the ocean. There's a touch of Turner in the way he handles the light, or even Winslow Homer. It’s a reminder that art's always a conversation.