Hidden at the end of a beautiful lot densely populated by lush Houston greenery, Libbie Masterson's studio feels like her own personal oasis. The high ceilings and large windows yield a flood of soft natural light ideal for viewing her vast array of work including photographs, paintings, watercolors, glass mosaics and even stage set maquettes.
Outside of Masterson's studio
Masterson's lively persona is a striking counterpart to her tranquil, contemplative work. Our studio visit began with a look at her new glass mosaics, an extended exploration of her large-scale installation at the Houston Hobby Airport. These works are heavily influenced not only by Masterson's affinity for nature, but also music. Masterson shared her life-long fantasy of composing a symphony, and explained to KAC how she incorporates this hidden passion into her work by listening to songs on repeat and allowing the music to dictate the emotional direction of each mosaic.
KAC in Masterson's studio
Close up of Masterson's glass mosaics
The imaginative glass compositions provide a splash of color to Masterson's otherwise monochromatic studio, filled with icy landscape photographs of deep grays, blues, and whites. These mesmerizing and meditative photos are back-lit and displayed as illuminated light boxes. Masterson walked us through the rewarding process of working with the light boxes, and calculating the perfect hue and strength of light to properly enhance the imagery without overpowering it.
Masterson's light box photographs
Masterson’s dream project: set design for an entire opera! Her infinite sources of inspiration and matching talent pose a promising future of endless possibilities and exploration. Be sure to attend her upcoming exhibition, opening September 10th 2016 at Catherine Couturier Gallery, who represents Masterson in Houston.
Masterson's glass mosaic work station
Anish Kapoor, Fold III, Paragon Press
KAC is in The Big Apple to check out what's on view at this year's IFPDA Print Fair. If you're in New York, this is a great opportunity to browse and buy prints of all styles. It is on now through Sunday, November 9th. Please enjoy this list of some of our favorite works.
Julie Mehretu, Myriads, Only by Dark, 2014, Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl
Polly Apfelbaum, Baroque Time Machine 4, 2014, Durham Press
Lynda Benglis at Goya Contemporary
Mark Fancis, Untitled #7, 2008, World House Editions
Julie Kinzelman at Dolan/Maxwell discussing the work of Amze Emmons
