With what he thinks is one of his last pieces Melfort artist Jim Mason is taking home some hardware.
Mason won The Lemon Yellow Art Studio Award for Artistic Exploration in Any Medium for his piece ‘Sydney the Sea Turtle’ at the 49th Annual Prince Albert Winter Festival Art Show and Sale Awards and Opening Gala on Feb. 7.
Mason, a self-taught wood carver who has been working in the medium for several years, said the award was special to him.
“It means a lot because I’m kind of at the end my career with age and everything,” he explained. “This is this is the last piece that I had done and I am so happy it won that award.”
Mason said that he is losing the ability to do the work because of the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. He said the disease has made even doing freehand work difficult, but he has no regrets.
“I’ve had a pretty good run at it later in life,” Mason said.
Since being diagnosed, Mason has moved away from straight wood carving to more of a mixed media style of art. ‘Sydney the Sea Turtle’ is a good example of the change.
“(For) probably 25 years I’ve done other carving and other woodwork before, but just kind of got into mixed media,” Mason said.
“I had done bird carving before and there’s too much measuring and everything has to be just so. I wanted to do something that if I made a mistake nobody would know … so it’s a lot of freehand, a lot of painting.”
This was Mason’s third time entering in the Winter Festival Art Show and Sale and his second award. About three shows ago, he won with a piece called Blue Marlin. Even if he doesn’t win an award, Mason said entering the Winter Festival Show has always been beneficial.
“I got my work out there. That’s always the best part I think,” he said.
Mason said he has not thought about what he could find to replace art now that he is taking time off.
“I can’t play an instrument and I can’t sing so it’s kind of narrowed down,” he said. “I may try some more carving, but the painting will have to be a lot larger not.”
The Best in Show award was presented to Prince Albert artist Chris Dansereau and is sponsored by the City of Prince Albert and On the Avenue Artisan’s Gallery. The winner receives $200 and a pot by Mel Bolen.
Adrian Golban took the $175 second place prize with the acrylic on canvas mixed media (stoneware, found objects) piece ‘Refilling My Memories II’, while Kathleen Slavin took third and $150 for ‘Going to the City’. The Guy Rutter Memorial People’s Choice Award winner will be announced after March 22.
There were 140 artists who entered pieces in the 2025 exhibit. There was also a walk-through with Martin on Feb. 8. The show runs until March 22.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
