Alex K. Mason Paints Her Way Through Woodford

Alex K. Mason is a Kentucky Native Artist who has lived all across the world but keeps coming back to Kentucky. Her art can take many forms, but at its roots, she describes her work as “Color Conscious Exploration.” She has a store on Main Street that is stocked wall to wall with her light, beautiful fabrics, as well as an online store at https://ferrickmason.com/and https://www.alexkmason.com/.

What is your favorite memory of Woodford County?

I moved to Woodford County when I was a Junior in high school. My parents lived on a farm and I had a friend who lived on an adjoining farm. At night in the summer, I would sneak out of my parents’ house with our Golden Retriever and run through the fields in the moonlit sky with my dog to get to my friends’ house. The fun part was getting there and home without running into coyotes or cows chasing us.

What motivated you to move to Woodford County?

When we moved back to Kentucky five years ago, I knew I wanted to live close to my parents and aunts and uncle who live in Woodford County. I also wanted to live in an old house in downtown Versailles or Midway and be able to walk to shops and restaurants. Now I can even walk to work which is a dream come true.

If you could change one thing to make Woodford County a better place what would it be?

Every day I walk my dogs and there are not enough trash cans to throw out the bagged dog poop. There is also way too much litter in the parks and all-round our beautiful town. I would love to have trash cans on Main Street to the end of Frankfort St every 30 ft. on both sides of the street and throughout Big Spring Park. There are only three in the park now. A litter-free Woodford County with more recycling options and trash bins throughout would make our county, even more, tourism-friendly.

If you had to explain your job to someone new to Woodford County, what would you say?

I am an artist, who paints. I also design and manufacture printed fabrics and wallpapers sold to interior designers through to the trades showrooms throughout the country. My business model is to the trade, rather than wholesale or retail so we are only open by appointment, but we now have a retail price list. We also sell pillows and discontinued fabrics online.

At what moment did you know you wanted to be an artist?

I went to The Lexington School and when I was in 6th grade they had a week-long arts festival. Visual and performing artists would come to teach classes and perform for the week. It truly inspired me to want to be an artist.

Which artists inspire you and why?

I love Matisse, Van Gough, Raoul Dufy, for colors and compositions. Will Cotton for his sensuous lush confection creations.

Where did your fascination with textiles begin?

That is a good question. I have always been a very tactile person. I love papers and the feel of percale sheets and really soft cottons and linens. I didn’t realize a love of textiles until I started designing them, and then it was really the love of creating the patterns for the textiles. It wasn’t until I started working with the printed fabrics making samples, cutting and shipping the fabrics for the designers, that I really fell in love with working and handling them. There is something quite soothing and calming about working with textiles.

In this digital age when anyone can start their own fabric line, why do you continue to paint your designs by hand?

There is an over-abundance of choices for interior designers when it comes to fine beautifully crafted fabrics. It is very important to stand out from current trends and the staples of the design world. As an artist, my focus has always been to create my own unique style which I try to carry over to my textiles and wallpapers. Even though much of our line is digitally printed, the designs are hand-painted with my unique vision, to make them stand out.

You got an Associates Degree from Otis College of Art and Design. What drew you to that particular Art School?

We had just moved to Los Angeles from New Zealand and I wanted to try a career as a textile designer but I didn’t know anything about it. Otis College of Art and Design offered an Associate’s degree in Pattern Repeats and Textile Design. I loved it and was first introduced to gouache paints. I fell in love with gouache and now use it in all my paintings.

You have lived in a lot of interesting places: New Zealand, Vermont, Los Angeles. How has the beauty of these different places affected your art?

Living in New Zealand had the most profound influence on my work. There I developed an iconography based on flora and fauna inspired by the bush of New Zealand, that are incorporated into all of the works that I paint.

Over the course of your career, you have seen your work all across the world, from Monte Carlo Café in Las Vegas to the St. Ermin’s Hotel in London. What place that you have seen your artwork has left you speechless?

It is always a thrill to have a wonderful hotel purchase a work, but I think the greatest joy is when someone buys works over and over and starts a collection. It is also especially thrilling to see my works published in magazines in beautiful homes.