"Tina Turtle" By John N Mason

John N Mason

www.johnnmason.com

@john_n_mason_artist

Original Artwork. Stretched canvas 61 x 61 cm

Sea Turtle gliding across the Great Barrier Reef. A Sea Turtle in an imagined Great Barrier Reef scene with various reef fish including Beaked coralfish, Lined Butterflyfish, Morish Idol fish, and Triggerfish, all native to the Great Barrier Reef.

About the Artist

Australian artist John N. Mason creates artworks that span both realism and abstraction, offering viewers a richly layered visual experience. His paintings range from expansive, imagined underwater worlds to intimate still-lifes, each piece inviting a moment of reflection and emotional engagement. Drawing heavily on his personal history, much of John’s marine-inspired work reflects his time as a member of the Broken Bay Game Fishing Club and, more significantly, the years he spent living, sailing, and snorkelling throughout the Whitsundays on the Great Barrier Reef. John's creative process is as versatile as it is passionate. His practice frequently alternates between brushwork and the use of a palette knife, depending on the energy and texture he wishes to convey. He works almost exclusively in high-quality artists’ acrylics—chosen for their durability and resistance to cracking, unlike traditional oil paints. His subject matter is deeply personal and often reflective of his own experiences. A standout example is his Marine Painting series, which draws inspiration from his early days with the Broken Bay Game Fishing Club, and more significantly, from years spent sailing and snorkelling throughout the Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsundays, Queensland. These paintings are not literal representations but imaginative compositions grounded in lived experience and meticulous study.