Born in Everett, Washington, painter Alden Mason (1919-2014) earned his MFA from the University of Washington in 1947, launching what would become an extraordinary career as both artist and teacher. He reinvented his style several times over the course of his career, exploring and combining new techniques through his Burpee Garden series, Squeeze Bottle paintings, Big Heads, and later acrylic works. He traveled extensively, yet always returned to the Pacific Northwest and the Skagit Valley, drawing inspiration from every aspect of his life and the landscape around him.

While Mason's inspired artworks helped shape the future of Northwest art, his work in the classroom inspired the next generation of artists in the region. Notable students include Roger Shimomura, Gene Gentry McMahon, and Chuck Close, who provided the epigram for this book. Richly illustrated, Alden Mason includes the first comprehensive profile of this prolific artist, whose exuberance and inventiveness in form, color, and style helped pave the way from the aesthetics of the Northwest School to midcentury modernist art in the Pacific Northwest.