Pontella Mason is perhaps one of the most unsung visual artists from Baltimore.MD. He has created murals for the Anacostia Community Museum, (former) President Jimmy Carter, Kurt Schmoke and several public and private organizations. He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and attended Baltimore City College High School. He graduated from the New York City School of Visual Arts (SVA) and began painting murals throughout Baltimore City, beginning in 1974. He is best known for his collaboration with James Voshell entitled “The Checker Players” (1975), at Edmondson Avenue and Franklintown Road. The building portraying the mural has since been torn down. Mason’s technical ability and subject matter earned him a full fellowship from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Hoffberger School of Painting. He graduated in 1979 and has since, been creating extraordinary images of African-American life and the Diaspora. Not only is he an artist, but an avid reader, former educator and community leader. Mason is lead by a passion for people and his wealth of knowledge concerning Black culture.
Pontella Mason has always painted to the tune of his own “horn” in a sense. Early in his career he rejected popular opinion, in favor of a more meaningful and sometimes controversial message. As a result he never obtained the commercial success held by his contemporaries. His paintings embody his pride for the community and his love of jazz. Artists such as: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Billie Holliday are present in his paintings, as well as scenes from Ethiopia and Ancient Egypt. Mason states the importance of his artwork as: “The beginning of our (Africans and African Americans) cultural contributions that are still affecting us today.”
One look at Mason’s work will tell you that he is not your ordinary artist. He is a master of his medium, able to create artwork with a clear message and vivd depictions. His murals contain a strong emotional presence, inclusive of African images and philosophy. Audiences become awakened by the history behind each painting and the detail present in every project. Mason’s works are not to be viewed but studied. He was once a professor at Coppin State University and spent 10 years as an educator in the Baltimore City Public School System. In his home Mason has a library of books concerning subjects such as: African culture, jazz history, spirituality and fiction. The artist exerts a strong sense of identity and creates images that promote the social welfare of the local community.
The responsibility of an artist was not always clear to Mason, however as he states he was “already behaving as a professional,” early on. At SVA he supported himself and his family, working as a taxicab driver and occasionally picking up gigs playing his tenor saxophone at local nightclubs. In September of 1999 Mason was diagnosed with colon cancer and had just begun teaching in Baltimore City. In 2000, he completed “Saqqara,” while battling the illness. “When I overcame cancer, it was like the driving force behind it.” (Mason) It is an oil painting of Imhotep advising Pharaoh Djoser on the completion of his step pyramid’s enclosure. Every shade, object and symbol was chosen meticulously by Mason. This piece particularly is one of my favorites. However, Mason does not always make art for an audience. His goal is not to appease collector’s tastes but to provide a way for personal therapy.
Mason is now 65 years of age, he lives with his wife of 38 years in Baltimore, MD. His four children are now adults, independently living throughout the US. Mason states that his wife and family, “Have been very important in my life, they have helped me with every mural I have ever created.” He is retired, still active in his community, and still painting what he desires. He has exhibited in numerous locations, and been published in The Baltimore Sun, Fortune magazine and the Smithsonian Institution’s “Walls of Heritage, Walls of Pride: African American Murals” by James Prigoff and Robin J. Dunitz. Currently he is working on a jazz painting that promises to amaze as expected. From the beginning Mason has created art his way, and he will continue to do just that into the future. When asked what has been his greatest reward so far, Mason credits the love from his family and: “Knowing that I did the right thing, for my people, myself and my family.”
The Baltimore Renaissance 