The Enduring Legacy of Artist James Mason

James Mason, the sculptor whose reimagining of a classic Georges Seurat painting in topiary form at Columbus’ Old Deaf School Park gained him international attention moved to Bexley as a young child.  Following graduation from Bexley High School in 1956, Mason entered Ohio State but his academic career was paused with a stint in the Air Force in the early 1960s. Upon returning to Ohio, Mason completed his education at the Columbus College of Art & Design, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1967.

As a sculptor, Mason favored working in bronze and wood but he also enjoyed painting. From 1978 to 2009, Mason worked at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center as a full-time sculpture instructor and he continued to teach there part-time until the mid-2010s.

In 1992, Mason and his then-wife, Elaine Mason, unveiled their topiary version of Seurat’s 1884 pointillist painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” The Masons crafted dozens of topiaries meant to evoke figures from Seurat’s painting, including 54 people, eight boats and a number of animals. Their topiary creations were positioned near a newly added pond on the property of the park, intended as a substitute for the River Seine seen in the original painting. 

Following the success of his topiary reimagination of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” Mason regularly exhibited his other sculptures in galleries throughout the Columbus area and beyond. His work can be found in public and private collections across the country. Mason, who was named a BHS Distinguished Alumnus in 1996, passed away at the age of 83 on January 20, 2022.

All the photos below are credited to Traveling Gardner except the final photo, which is credited to Larry Hamill.