The Approaching Storm (Going Home) 1964

Frank Mason painted “The Approaching Storm (Going Home)” with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is the traditional, almost classical approach to landscape, but with a real emphasis on light. Look at the sky – it's not just blue; it's a whole symphony of grays and whites, capturing that heavy, pregnant feeling right before a storm. The paint is applied in layers, almost translucent in places, creating this luminous effect that feels both realistic and dreamlike. There’s a looseness to the brushwork. It’s not about perfect detail, but about capturing the essence of a moment, a feeling. It makes me think of Turner, but with a more grounded, American sensibility. The way Mason handles light reminds me of how Fairfield Porter brought a fresh perspective to American landscape painting, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. I think of art as this ongoing conversation, each artist adding their voice to the mix. It’s not about right or wrong, but about how we see, how we feel, and how we keep the conversation going.