Soft the Sun (Printer’s Proof), 1989
aquatint, soft ground, and carborundum print on paper, 19 3/4 x 15 5/8 in. (50.16 x 39.68 cm)
In the late 1980’s, Mason was commissioned to produce a print for Associated American Artists Gallery. To create the edition, Mason worked with Master Printer Catherine Mosely and her then-assistant, Janis Stemmermann. Mason knew that she needed a print process that would both translate the intuition and spontaneity of her paintings while providing a matrix stable enough for multiple runs through the press.
Following a recommendation from Master Printer Anthony Kirk, Mason sought inspiration from the works of Joan Miró, who famously used carborundum in the 1960s. She fell in love with the process, using it to produce “Soft the Sun.”