Emily Mason, one of America's most distinctive abstract painters, consistently resisted being categorized throughout her career, representing a unique bridge between Abstract Expressionism and Eastern philosophical approaches to art. When pressed about her artistic movement in 1972, Mason reluctantly identified as an Abstract Expressionist, but by 2005, she offered a more nuanced perspective, describing herself as "probably a product of Abstract Expressionism" while embracing composer John Cage's philosophy to "get your mind out of the way."

Mason's artistic development was profoundly shaped by her early exposure to New York's vibrant art scene through her mother, Alice Trumbull Mason, who introduced her to The Club, the legendary headquarters of the Abstract Expressionists on East 8th Street. During her formative teenage years, Mason regularly attended Friday night meetings where she encountered influential figures including Willem and Elaine de Kooning, who were close family friends. This intimate community provided Mason with direct access to the most significant artistic movements of the 20th century.

The young artist found herself uniquely positioned between two seemingly contradictory influences: Willem de Kooning, one of the undisputed leaders of the New York School, and John Cage, the experimental composer who became the godfather of process art, conceptual art, and Fluxus. This unusual combination of mentors led Mason to take American art in an unexpected direction, blending the gestural intensity of Abstract Expressionism with the letting-go philosophy of Eastern thought.

Mason belonged to a generation that revolutionized painting by abandoning the traditional easel format, following techniques initially developed by Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler. She embraced the liberation of working on horizontal surfaces, starting paintings flat on the floor before moving them to the wall. Her process involved pouring paint and tilting surfaces to direct flow, engaging in what she described as a "dialogue back and forth with the painting." This approach allowed movements to gain speed or slow down organically, creating dynamic compositions that seemed to emerge naturally.

Unlike the often ego-driven male protagonists of Abstract Expressionism, Mason's approach to color expression and structure aligned more closely with the sensitivity and unimposing sincerity of Mark Rothko. For both artists, painting was not merely about creating an experience—it was the experience itself. Mason particularly admired de Kooning's mastery of oil painting and his non-literal approach to art, often noting his self-description as a "glimpser," a quality she recognized in her own work.

"I work indirectly, I am not confronting anything, but just sort of letting it come out," Mason explained, describing how memories, impressions, and feelings informed her art in a meandering manner. She frequently quoted Emily Dickinson's line "Tell all the truth but tell it slant," viewing indirect glimpsing as her preferred way of creating. This philosophy guided her throughout her career, allowing her to develop a distinctive voice within the Abstract Expressionist movement.

Mason's personal relationships within the art community significantly influenced her development. After marrying fellow artist Wolf Kahn in 1957, whom she met at The Club in 1956, she maintained close ties with Elaine de Kooning, who remained a supportive presence in both artists' practices. Elaine, herself a accomplished painter and art critic, would occasionally babysit Mason's daughters Cecily and Melany in the late 1960s and early 1970s, bringing her vibrant personality and feminist wisdom to the family.

A pivotal moment in Mason's artistic evolution came through her encounter with Joan Mitchell's work around 1953-54. Initially dismissing Mitchell's paintings as "too Expressionist," Mason was encouraged by family friend Ibram Lassaw to examine her discomfort more closely. Following his advice, Mason and Kahn visited Mitchell in Paris during the summer of 1958, where Mason was profoundly affected by what she witnessed. "I was appalled at first," she later recounted, "but I thought, there's more here that I am not letting in."

Mitchell's athletic marks and pictorial architecture made a lasting impression on Mason, influencing works like "Wet Paint Spring" (1963), which demonstrated calligraphic entanglement over thin green washes reminiscent of Mitchell's "Garden Party" (c. 1962). This European exposure proved transformative, and when Mason returned to settle in New York in 1965, she quickly produced some of her most significant works.

The luminous paintings "Equal Paradise" and "Stillness is Volcanic," both created in 1966, marked the beginning of Mason's major contributions to the New York School. These works demonstrated her uncanny ability to express light and create highly sensual surfaces that pushed art beyond traditional Abstract Expressionism. The textural sophistication of these paintings, with their lacquer-like color contrasts and reflectivity, called to mind the work of Parisian Chinese Art Informel painter Zao Wou-Ki and revealed Mason's emerging Eastern sensitivity.

Mason's journey toward Eastern philosophy likely began with John Cage's influence at The Club, which was founded in 1949 when several artists, including Ibram Lassaw, gathered around a kitchen table and decided to establish their own meeting space at 39 East 8th Street. The Club became essential to the New York School community, providing a private venue for parties, discussions, and lectures that would shape American art for decades.

Cage's frustration with Western approaches to art led him to embrace Eastern philosophy, particularly the concept of vacuity found in Buddhism. Under this influence, he adopted the radical position of letting go of intentions during the creative process, drawing heavily from Japanese Zen Master D.T. Suzuki's teachings. When Suzuki lectured at Columbia University in 1952, both Cage and Lassaw attended together, deepening their understanding of Zen principles.

During The Club's earliest years from 1949 to 1955, artists discussed Zen Buddhism more than any other single topic, exploring its relationship to music, art, and psychology across at least ten separate evenings. Cage lectured six times at The Club during this period, and while no attendance records were kept, Mason was clearly receptive to his teachings, quoting him throughout her life.

Cage's interpretation of Zen Buddhism and creativity provided a counterpoint to the self-involved emotional approach of many Abstract Expressionists. "Art can be practiced in one way or another," Cage wrote, "so that it reinforces the ego in its likes and dislikes, or so that it opens the mind to the world outside, and outside inside." Mason embraced this philosophy of letting go, cultivating an approach that transcended personal ego.

In 1975, discussing her creative process with Lona Foote, Mason articulated her philosophy: "I like to feel that I work on a painting until something magical happens. Until it becomes something outside of myself, a new vision... You lose a kind of control, but you gain something else." This approach allowed her best works to emerge as natural phenomena, activated by forces beyond the artist's conscious control.

Mason perceived herself as a conduit, explaining, "I feel as if I'm a conduit, but of what I don't know until the paintings are finished." She would initiate the process and then follow where it led, embracing uncertainty as a creative principle. "Not knowing is my mantra," she declared, encapsulating the Eastern philosophy that distinguished her work from her Abstract Expressionist contemporaries while honoring the movement's revolutionary spirit.

Throughout her career, Mason successfully synthesized the gestural power of Abstract Expressionism with the mindful awareness of Zen Buddhism, creating a body of work that pushed American art in new directions. Her unique position between Western artistic traditions and Eastern philosophical approaches established her as a distinctive voice who expanded the possibilities of abstract painting while remaining true to her quest for color, truth, and authentic expression.