Robert Masla

Brief Biography

Over the last 20+ years Robert Masla’s painting has shifted to focus primarily on the landscape. Working to uncover the universal language contained within the natural world, Masla fills the common daily setting with an aura of mystical divinity and the suggestion of other worldly experiences. In the 1970’s Masla coined the term Spiritrealism to describe how the spiritual can manifest in the so-called mundane realities of every day life. "We’re given the opportunity to participate in creation every day of our lives. Creating art is a form of worship, a form of spirituality born through creative living that connects us to the cultivation of humanity. A process that has been going on since the dawn of civilization", says the artist.

Painting the landscape around him brings Masla joy because it allows him to take things that we might pass by every day and bring them into focus – to see them again as if for the first time. Paintings such as Feel the Earth Move or those at the Falls of Niagara, is from what Masla calls his Grand Landscape series- images of recognizable monumental landscapes. Masla believes in the power of Nature as a healer and that these landscapes contain archetypal imagery that both relaxes and empowers the viewer, reconnecting them to the sense of oneness and harmony with nature and creation. His success in achieving this goal is attested by the fact that his work is collected not just for private homes and offices, but for corporate conference rooms and hospital lobbies for it’s healing and peaceful qualities. The Niagara series was inspired from a trip to the Falls in the spring of 2002. The artist is currently working on a series of tropical ocean views with dramatic surf and rocks inspired from plein air studies done around his studio in Mexico, an example of which is "Sunset at Myto". The artist typically works on location sketching in oil and then completing the work in his studio, the very large works being referenced from sketches and numerous photographs.

Masla has lectured and taught painting, drawing and art history at several colleges and institutions. He also conducts workshops from his home in rural Ashfield, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife and three children and is also offering workshops in their home/studio South - Casa de los Artistas, in Boca de Tomatlan, Mexico. Masla has been an exhibiting artist for over 30 years, his work is in numerous discerning private and corporate collections, such as Mass Mutual, Baystate Medical, and The Openheimer Fund to name a few. His teaching experience is extensive, from pre -k through college, as well as private workshops. He has been a products demonstrator and tester for various artists materials manufacturers. He was the Artist in Residence for the city of Springfield, MA, where, for 4 years, he was the creator and artistic director of the A4E program (art for everyone) which had received 3 consecutive grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for bringing art into the inner city schools.

Resumé | Lectures & Workshops | Exhibitions