Watercolour
Tania Mason
Tania Mason is a Sydney-based artist with a Fine Arts degree from the National Art School (NAS), where she began her studies in 1996.
Artist Profile
Tania Mason is a Sydney-based artist with a Fine Arts degree from the National Art School (NAS), where she began her studies in 1996. Her work has been exhibited widely across Australia and internationally, with representation from esteemed galleries including Australian Galleries, Art House, Olsen, and Liverpool Street Galleries. She was awarded the Calleen Art Award for Painting in 2016 and has completed major public art commissions for institutions such as The Arts Centre of Victoria and The Australian Ballet. Her practice has also been supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, which awarded her a New Work Grant in 2007. Tania has been an artist-in-residence at Bundanon, Hill End, The Gunnery, and NG Art Creative in France, where her passion for hosting art workshops was also nurtured.
Mason’s solo exhibitions span regional and metropolitan galleries, most recently Surrounded by Time with a Canary in a Coal Mine at Gosford Regional Gallery (2025), with another solo show upcoming at Michael Reid Northern Beaches. She has been a finalist in numerous art prizes, including the Fisher’s Ghost, Geelong, Banyule, and Hazlehurst prizes, and has works held in public collections such as Cowra Regional Gallery and The Arts Centre of Victoria. Her commissions and illustrative projects, including works responding to The Firebird ballet and a storybook titled The Intelligent Sleeping Beauty, further reflect the narrative depth of her practice. Tania’s work has been featured in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Vogue Australia, and Vogue Living, underscoring her presence in both critical and cultural conversations.
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
I work with watercolour, gouache, and acrylic on canvas. I have a degree in sculpture and have always had a love of drawing. When I first started out at Australian Galleries, I was known for my black-and-white charcoal works on paper and installation-based work. After a while, I discovered a love of painting again and explored this through watercolour and gouache. From here it has led me to a true understanding of my own practice, and I couldn't live with my watercolour and gouache, especially gouache.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
Ideas seem to blend, meld, and connect with each other! Concepts mainly come from looking at 500-year-old paintings and illustrations, mainly concerned with natural histories, flora, botanicals, and ornithology collections. My practice is daily and comes from playing with found images from archival libraries from all over the world and using Photoshop to make compositions. I then draw and paint them. Throughout the process, ideas start to form, and a whole exhibition appears before my eyes. Utilise the form of painting and sometimes installation-based art of found objects to format a relatable metaphor for the public to participate in, enjoy, and walk away feeling good!
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
Currently, my studio is at home. This home is not just your average home. I live by the seaside in the bush. Surrounded by nature, it is an honour! I feel so tucked away and supported by this space and main environment. I feel like it has produced my best work yet, and I hope you can see this looking at my works.
Career Highlights
- Winner of the Callen Art Prize for painting
- Public commission from the Victoria Art Centre and The Australian Ballet
- Public Art work commission in Bondi Junction||PARAGRAPH_BREAK||
