Paul Mason

Stamen

Bath Stone, 2001 (3 feet diameter)

The Cathedral residency at Gloucester was a tremendous opportunity to realise a long held ambition to work within that context. I had visited the Cathedral as a child so it was as much a reflection on how my own memories and impact those earlier visits had framed my interests as to how 1 would respond to the immediate and infinite potential of sculptural opportunity. To be part of the Cathedral's layers of work systems from the stone yard to worship is to experience a fascinating mix of cold steel reality and soaring spiritual moments. It was natural for me to work in the stone yard and use the studio for drawing and maquette work, and 1 would like to thank the masons for all the help and interest in what 1 was doing that they gave me. Not least was the act of inclusion and a shared sense of time.

The real legacy goes beyond the short intense period of the residency, which was so rewarding in itself, as it gave me the chance to explore and experiment with different media which then was exciting to see the results in context. I am now able to reflect upon that experience and draw some different and longer term conclusions, and at the forefront of all the practical considerations is the confidence that arises from being a full-time artist for a year free to give status to ideas for their own sake.

Paul Mason studied at Bolton College of Art & Design (1970-1), Wolverhampton Polytechnic (1971-4) and Royal Academy Schools (1974-7). Paul has been Artist-inResidence at Tate Gallery St Ives (1996); National Stone Centre, Derbyshire (1989); Grizedale Forest Cumbria (1981); Webster University, St Louis, USA (1986) and Saarland, West Germany (1984). Solo exhibitions include The Bauhaus-Archiv Museum fur Gestaltung, Berlin (2001); Tate Gallery, St Ives (1996); Djanogly Art Gallery, Nottingham (1997) and Six Chapel Row, Bath (1998). Group exhibitions include Dock Museum, Barrow in Furness (1999); Newlyn Art Gallery (1997) and Divers Memories, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford (1995). Commissions include British Airways, Singapore Airport (2001); Eagle Wharf, Vauxhall Bridge, London (2001); East River Yar Project, Isle of Wight (2001); Barrow in Furness, Channelside Gardens (1999); Victoria Dock Park, Hull (1998); Seaham Promenade, Groundwork Trust (1998); Edinburgh City Council (1994) and National Maritime Headquarters, Southampton (1993).