Artist Statement
Blase in his Evanston, IL studio.
Each day I strive for order in my life. Each day brings a bit of chaos. Over time I have found that too much order is boring and mundane whereas too much chaos is unsettling. I live out these truths in my art.
For many years I worked with flat geometric planes. This excess of order left me bored after a while. When I first worked with cold wax medium I created rich organic surfaces that I struggled to manage. By using stencils to mask out areas, I was able to introduce some order to the organic surfaces cold wax medium afforded me.
Now the painting process holds a constant tension between chaos and order. When shapes flatten or lines are too crisp I am bored. When line and shapes dissolve I am unsettled. I find that this mimics tension I experience in life.
— Blase
News
In 2022 Masini joined the Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists, a volunteer not-for-profit organization founded in 1988 to serve artists aged 50+ in the Chicagoland area. Masini had works accepted in two CAVA shows and was a featured artist in their monthly newsletter.
Solutions #2, as shown in Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations
Masini has been chosen by artists Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin as one of the featured artists in their new book titled Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations. The book is not only a technical guide for artists who use cold wax medium in their painting technique, but it also features artists from around the world. Masini is one of these featured artists who talk about their process and their work with cold wax medium.
Current/Future Exhibits
Masini is exhibiting a painting at the Evanston Art Center in Evanston, IL. The piece was accepted in the CAVA Later Impressions show. The show runs through November 5, 2022.
Masini is exhibiting paintings at Uncommon Ground in Chicago, IL. The pieces were accepted in the CAVA Invitational Art Show. The show runs from November 8, 2022 through March 13, 2023.
Past Exhibits
Masini will be exhibiting a stain glassed window in the MULTI-PLICITY show at the Tall Grass Gallery in Park Forest, IL. The show ran from June 18 to July 23, 2022.
Masini is exhibiting a painting at the Beverly Art Center in Chicago, IL. The piece was accepted in the Collective Awakenings. The show ran through June 4, 2022.
Masini exhibited a piece in the Small Wonders Theme Exhibition in Northfield, IL, a juried show that ran through April 27, 2022.
Masini had a solo show – Fractured Order/Pathways – at Space 900 Gallery in Evanston, IL. The show ran from June 23 to June 27, 2021.
Masini exhibited a piece in the Evanston Arts Center Winter Expo in Evanston, IL, a juried show ran through December 21, 2019.
Masini exhibited his Chaos and Order work in a second solo show at the Evanston Art Center in Evanston, IL, entitled Chaos and Order II. The show ran from July 14th to August 5th, 2018.
Masini had his first solo show - Chaos and Order - at the ArtSpace gallery of the Racine Arts Council in Racine, WI. The show featured works on paper and collages on panel. It ran from May 4th to June 2nd, 2018.
Masini exhibited a painting at M. S. Rezny Studio in Lexington KY. The piece was accepted into not BIG(4), the fourth bi-annual small arts competition. The show ran through August 31st, 2017.
Masini exhibited a piece in the 58th Annual Kitsap Arts and Crafts, Kingston Art Festival Show in Kingston, WA. The show ran through July 31st, 2017.
Masini exhibited two paintings at The 154th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings presented by the Philadelphia Sketch Club. This year’s show ran from April 14, 2017 through May 6, 2017.
ViewPoints 2017 is a juried show that includes artists from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Masini exhibited two paintings at this show at aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, in Newark, NJ.
Masini showed three of his paintings at Anything Goes – Mixed Media Art Exhibit. This exhibit featured artists that pushed beyond traditional mediums. One of Masini’s painting won honorable mention. This exhibit was at the Art League of Lincoln (CA). The show ran from March 1-31, 2017. Masini’s work was part of the Small Works Juried Show at Gallery North in Edmunds, Washington.
Collections
Private Collections in:
Austin, TX
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Dixon, IL
Dubuque, IA
Evanston, IL
Kansas City, MO
Kerkwood, MO
Racine, WI
Raleigh, NC
Public Collections of:
University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, KY