Plateau Magazine June-July 2023

Eventually, Mase settled for a while in
Miami and, remembering that little girl
who loved art, became a member of the
South Florida Art Center. Her association
with The Center changed how she saw
art and her own future. “I was exposed to
amazing artists from around the world,
many from South America. Their work
was bold and different, and it inspired me
to open my mind and ponder possibilities
beyond the literal.” But it wasn’t just the
work that inspired her—it was the people.
They were making their livings as artists.
“This shifted the entire world for me. I had
no idea such a thing was not only possible,
but easily within grasp.”
Shortly thereafter, she began selling
her work on the art show circuit. “I was
travelling the country again, but this time
in a van, large canvases stacked carefully
in the back. I went from one art festival to
another, meeting loads of people.” For this
journey, however, she was alone, but being
alone was no more a problem for Mase than
a cultural mold. Humble by nature, she will
not admit to her own bravery, but the faith
to try, to allow yourself to believe your work
has meaning, takes extraordinary courage.
In her early career, Mase focused on the
figure, painting scenes of women engaged in
everyday tasks. These paintings were traditional
and likely reflected the role of women
as she had witnessed it as a child. Eventually
she moved to more abstract work, and
although she admired it, it simply did not
hold her attention, which was continually
pulled back to her first love: horses.
“Horses speak not only to me but to most
people. They are creatures of profound
appeal. A person does not need to own a
horse or enjoy riding to see its beauty and
strength. And the story—horses overflow
with story. There is always a narrative.”
Mase has received national acclaim for
her horse paintings, which she describes
as contemporary realism. Her work is now
widely sold and exhibited and, against all
odds, she has been a working artist for
over 40 years. It ends up, the vision and
passion of that little girl never died, even if
her eye is now trained to look critically and
edge closer to perfection.
(Opposite): Artist Mase Lucas; With an Egret,
36 x 36 Acrylic and Pencil on Canvas; (Top):
Matriarch, 30 x 24 Acrylic on Canvas; Morning
Revisited, 28 x 40, Acrylic on Canvas.
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