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Annie Mason's Biography includes her early years, her degrees in Fine Art and Art History, her years as an art teacher, and her retirement painting for pleasure. Hi, I'm Annie. I have spent my whole life involved in anything "art," whether teaching, taking art classes, or getting dirty with paint. I taught at the elementary level which was my dream job, and I was lucky enough to do it early in my career. Children love to "create" and enjoy expressing their thoughts as they draw or paint. They love the tactile feel of clay, the smell of crayons (you remember that, don't you?), and the finished product to share with others. Good memories. I also love looking at art. That means looking at everything around me. When I decided to pursue a master's degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, I chose to look to the past by studying the works and thoughts of art throughout the ages. See: My Museums, cataloged In my retirement years, I draw and paint to my heart's delight. I create art for pleasure. See: CREATE. Why? My drawing portfolio contains over 300 works. You can find my SUBSCRIBE button below and keep up with what is new in my shops. o Please find my Print on Demand (POD) stores: SHOP Redbubble Wall Art, Home, Kids and Babies, Accessories, Stationery, Gifts. Zazzle Apparel, Bags, Invitations, Stationery, Mugs, Paper Products, Phones (some customized) Come back often and explore. SUBSCRIBE ...and NEVER MISS AN UPDATE! Annie Mason BACK TO HOME "It's picking and choosing each day. It's experimenting with new techniques. It's navigating in a digital world that I didn't grow up in. It's exciting and challenging. Learn something new every day." ~ Annie Mason

Featured products from Annie Mason Designs store Click to link to the image products. The store is NEW, and Annie adds more artwork each month. BUY NOW FRESH &NEW SEE ALL > BUY NOW BACK TO HOME

Frequently Asked Questions posed by Annie that can be read by visitors to the site. Did you always want to be an artist? My career as an art teacher and illustrator began at an early age. I loved coloring books, paper, paint, looking at objects and drawing them over and over. So, yes, I discovered that I could look at something and draw that object with clear distinction. I knew that I had something inside me that wanted to draw. I went to a parochial school and I remember my third-grade nun, Sister Hilda. The class was learning about countries around the world, and our teacher had the students draw houses, or symbols from a country that we had discussed. Our class was dismissed for recess. Sister Hilda noticed me still busy. I was diligently working on a pagoda as seen in our Japanese study. She looked at my picture and immediately ran to pull another nun into the room to look at my drawing. I wish I still had that picture. It's in my DNA. After I retired my artwork is watercolor; my true love. My home art studio is my happy haven. What is your background? By middle school, if there was an art class to take, I took every class that I could and found that this was my "thing". Math? Not so much. By college, I knew what my major would be. There was a community college that had a Graphic Arts program and I completed that two-year degree then decided to go on to a four-year insitution with a major in Fine Arts and a minor in education. The natural course led me to a job as an elementary art teacher in my hometown. I taught there for four years. Later, after several summers as a crafts school instructor in Maine, I was hired as an elementary teacher in that state. With another colleague, hired at the same time, we were responsible for writing the curriculum for the art program. This was an exciting time in my background, as I taught in three schools: grades K through 6, and averaged about one thousand students in a two week rotation. I loved it! What inspires you? Any quick look around anniemasonart web page and you can see that I love painting flowers, birds, insects, animals...anything from nature. I see what I see, and my heart usually says: "I want to paint that!" Who are some artists that influence you? My primary medium is watercolor. Since my subjects are flowers, birds; anything nature, I am strongly attracted to the artists of the Impressionist era: Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I also love botanical works, like those of Pierre-Joseph Redouté See my watercolor rendition of Redoute's Roses below What's the favorite part of your job? The best part is that it is not "work". The most amazing thing is that I have never thought of it as work. There are some images that I might spend more time on but the blank paper has never scared me. I do use reference photographs. After all, if I am painting a sea turtle I want to make sure I know what a sea turtle looks like I try as much as possible to work from photographs that I have taken myself. This way I feel that the image is from my eyes, to my brain, to my hand. What do you like most about being an artist? The absolute best thing about being an artist is that it opens up a whole world of connections and friendships. Even though I work alone in my studio I think about the painting that I am working on and know that someone is going to "connect" to the colors, or the subject, or a memory that makes them happy, like this reproduction of this vintage McCall's pattern. A buyer was so excited to see this on a greeting card because her mother was a seamstress. Art is emotional. I find that I connect with a person who tells me that they really like a painting. My artwork is relatively small: 5 x 7 inches or 8 x 10 inches. Easily scanned and formatted to greeting cards or matted to 11 x 14 frames. What do I love most? Sharing my vision of the world with others. What is your work-day like? Since my studio is in my home I go to "work" whenever I want to. For a tour of my present studio read about My Happy Haven. Like any at-home job, you plan your time around your household activities. The third-floor room isolates me from the rest of the house. I can come and go as I please. All my supplies are in the area, I have a holder for my tea, or water. Paint, paint, paint. Repeat. I do, however, have to be careful of which cup I put my paintbrush: Why did you choose watercolor painting as your favorite? A detailed blog tells the story of "Why do I use watercolor as my medium?" I have always loved the look of this transparent quality of watercolor. For details I add pen or watercolor pencil. They give me more control for outlining. When you are creating art, do you do it in silence, or to a background of music?" I have a TV in my home studio but most of the time I'm so immersed in what I am doing that I'm not watching. Yes. I prefer to have music on when I paint. I do have to be careful if I video my work in progress because if I have music in the background I won't be able to upload it to YouTube because it would be against copyright policy and background music needs to be royalty-free. Movie scores are dramatic and I tend to like those playing in the background. Ennio Morricone (who passed in July 2020) was an amazing composer / conductor. His piece called, Gabriel's Oboe (from the movie The Mission) gets me teary every time. I painted this while listening to the music. Another blog post lists My Top 10 List of Music to Paint By Where do you sell your work? The first place that I sold my artwork was on Society6. This platform was created to help "starving" artists get their work noticed. My daughter had given me a phone case from their website. It had a bird painted by another artist. I loved it and she said, "Mom, you could do this!" So, I did. Later I had a local printer make greeting cards from my scanned artwork. I opened an ETSY shop. It was a lot of work because you have to take good pictures, buy envelopes for the cards, buy sleeves to make them shop worthy, then mail them to buyers. The fees added up and I closed the shop. About that time I found a perfect match. Heather Boutique My artwork on greeting cards, framed prints, and some original art is selling amazingly well at Heather's shop. It's nice to have a shop that is suited to my style and a relationship with a local brick and mortar store that caters to loyal customers. If you visit Fredericksburg Virginia visit her shop. Do you do commissions? I have always been a bit nervous about commissions. My confidence goes down when I think about whether the artwork will be satisfactory to the buyer. Lately, however, I have done a few commissions and it is rewarding when the buyer is thrilled with the final work. If there is any thing, however, that artists tell horror stories about, it's commissions. Buyer's remorse doesn't pay the artist the time, materials, and skill that a disgruntled person might demand in terms of a refund or payment. I am careful in evaluating whether the pet portrait, the architecture, or floral work is something that I want to take on, or not. For some of my personal thoughts on this visit: Commissions, Sales, and Gifts,...oh my. My current commission rates: Framed 8x10 image matted to 11x14 inches Pet Portrait $250 Framed 8x10 image matted to 11x14 inches Architectural $300 I am more apt to do gifts if I am excited about drawing/painting a subject. My most recent, painted for a friend, featuring her new puppy: What is one of your favorite paintings? I love most of my floral work but I tend to like the ones where I did a "work-in-progress" video. (Maybe that endears me to the image because I had to review the process and watch again while editing. When is an artist finished? That's a big question. I have gotten out of bed and gone up to the studio to stare at a painting (I do that a lot). Is it finished? Maybe darken this corner? There is no right answer. Rembrandt is reported to have said: "An artwork is finished when the artist says it is finished." If I have signed it, I usually don't touch it again. See this blog post: https://www.anniemasonart.com/post/when-is-an-artist-finished SUBSCRIBE BACK TO HOME Annie Mason would like to acknowledge the printing services that produce my greeting cards and prints that are offered for sale. I can count on a quality finished product and excellent service. If you live in the Fredercksburg Virginia area please use this one-stop shop for your printing needs. 540-898-7888

Annie Mason Art is a place to showcase my watercolor artwork on Society6, Redbubble, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Watercolor painting themes include subjects from nature: flowers, insects, birds, animals, and still life.

CAFE ROSES Art Print VIOLIN AND FLOWERS Stickers GOLDEN RIBBONS Sleeveless Top SEASHELLS PATTERN Tote Bag HEAVENLY BLUES Canvas Print BUTTERFLY TANGO Drawstring Bag WILD WILDFLOWERS Shower Curtain FLORAL FUSION Throw Pillow SHADES OF WINTER Scarf INCH BY INCH, ROW BY ROW Coffee Mug APPLE AND A HALF Jigsaw Puzzle OREGON Desk Mat TOUT SWEET Coasters ROSA CENTIFOLIA FOLIACEA Throw Blanket BURST Spiral Notebook GIRAFFE AND HER CALF Baby One-Piece STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW Scarf GRANDMA'S DOILY Pin SEASHELL BY THE SEASHORE IPhone Case A BETTER WORLD Sleeveless Top WILD WILDFLOWERS Pet Mat SHATTERED DREAMS Zipper Pouch VIRGINIA iPad Case or Skin LEAFY TREEZY Graphic T-Shirt Dress BACK TO HOME

All Fifty State Birds and Flowers are highlighted in a video on YouTube. State Birds and Flowers Watercolor renderings of all 50 State Birds and Flowers click below to view this on YouTube State Birds and Flowers SUBSCRIBE Other Collective Projects Home or Business Illustrations | Pet Portraits | The Fredericksburg Collection Stay in Touch BACK TO HOME

Information on contacting the artist. subscribe form Annie Mason Fredericksburg, VA (where you'll find me in my art studio! ) anniemasonart@gmail.com Contact Annie Mason Thanks for submitting! Submit As a local business, I am honored to discuss with you commissions that will suit your needs. Drop a note on this page and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Artwork Information My standard is 9x12 art images using watercolor, pen & ink, colored pencil, crayon, and/or charcoal and other mixed media. The finished product will be matted into an 11 x 14-inch frame unless we discuss an alternate size. Framed architectural artwork starts at $350.00 Framed pet portraits start at $300.00 Unframed artwork: $250.00 * A non-refundable $50 deposit at the time of the commission agreement is required. The customer must agree to a month for completion, as an average. Full payment must be made at the time of delivery. I accept checks made out to Annie Mason , PayPal , Venmo , or Credit Card BACK TO HOME

An ongoing collection of iconic Fredericksburg buildings, museums, and sites. Works are mixed media: watercolor, pen and ink, and crayon. The Fredericksburg Collection Museums and Iconic Buildings in Fredericksburg, Virginia Scroll over the image for the building title. Click to the websites. BACK TO HOME SUBSCRIBE

Annie Mason's resume information. Annie Mason E-mail: anniemasonart@gmail.com Phone: 540-842-6970 Education 1987 M.A. University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Art History 1972 B.F.A. Westfield State University , Westfield, Massachusetts 1969 Assoc. Science Springfield Technical Community College , Springfield, Massachusetts Graphic Arts Career: Annie Mason taught children at the elementary level in Massachusetts and Maine before pursuing her MA in Art History. She curated in the photography department at the Yale Center for British Art. After marriage brought her to VA, she worked as an Assistant Curator in the Education Department at Kenmore Historic Home in Fredericksburg, Virginia My style: My artwork is watercolor, pen, and graphite on paper; any light editing is done digitally. All of my watercolors are painted in vivid, saturated, and harmonious permanent watercolor - including my series of state birds and flowers . Watercolor is the medium of choice for me because I love its translucent and luminous quality. My themes are primarily free-standing objects from nature: birds, plants, animals, and flowers, emphasizing pattern and texture. Recently, I started working with pen & ink and highlights of color using crayons. It has been well received in my market, and I continue to explore the possibilities. My new art studio is filled with inspiration from recently adding artwork to compliment the new logo and my rebrand. Please browse my various shops, and I hope you find the same connection to nature, flowers, insects, and birds. BACK TO HOME

Annie Mason Art features her artwork, primarily watercolor and pen & ink. Annie loves to find her inspiration in nature. She has added local historical homes and museums in the Fredericksburg Virginia area using pen, ink, and crayons which has become a popular addition to her drawing portfolio. Welcome! from Annie Mason On most days, you can find me in my art studio. The artwork I produce there is sold in a few online stores, and many are displayed on this site. Here are some samples of my paintings and drawings. These images of watercolor, pen & ink, or charcoal pencil have become part of my drawing portfolio. Ask me about pet portraits. I draw and paint often and include my thoughts and challenges on Annie's Blog . See a sampling of my artwork here: MY PORTFOLIO . Copyright protected.© Click here for a Gallery view of my Artwork Ask me about pet portraits SUBSCRIBE

See a list of the artist's recommendations for watercolor art supplies that I use in my home art studio. Annie Mason is an Amazon Associate. The links on this page are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item (or any item) at Amazon I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own. Crafts for Kids Click titles to check products on Amazon Scratch Rainbow Paper Jumbo Arts&Crafts Kit Box 2,000 pieces Paint Set for Kids 27 pieces Dan & Darci Marbling Paint Rock Painting Kit Art Lessons for Kids Artsy Craftsy Party for Kids! Kids Paintinng and Drawing Supplies Scratch Art Lesson (YouTabe video) Chalk stencil Flower Still Life (ages 8 and up) Annie Mason is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com Juicy Couture Crystal Bracelets Flower Origami Kit Ultimate Crochet Creations More Art Supplies

Selections from Annie Mason's portfolio. Annie Mason Finding Inspiration in Every Turn Painting is like making a visual journal. I find inspiration in the garden, the seaside, the sunsets, and the patterns of flowers along the highway. Exploring the Creative World of Annie Mason Welcome to Annie Mason Art! I am a former art teacher and a professional artist who loves painting, animals, flowers, and more. My artwork is inspired by the world around me, and I create unique pieces using watercolor, pen, crayon, and other mediums. My artwork is designed to bring joy and happiness to all who view it. I believe that art can bring people together, and I strive to inspire others with my work. I invite you to explore my portfolio and join me on this wonderful journey of creativity. Annie's Art Portfolio