North Texas Performing Arts honors Black History Month by highlighting local artists in the Neiman Marcus Welcome Center. During the month of February, NTPA will exhibit art by Don O’Bannon, Barbara Mason, James Mason, Stephanie Ward and other local artists.
Artist Reception – Meet the Artists!
Sunday, February 20, 6-8 PM
Don O’Bannon
Artist Don O’Bannon’s goal is to portray in strong visual images the experience of African American life and highlight the significant achievements and contributions of African Americans in the diaspora. His artwork has been shown at the African American Museum in Dallas as well as galleries around the United States, including juried shows such as the Red River Revel, Texas and Neighbors Arts Show and the Harlem Fine Arts Shows. His paintings portray images of life with social, political and personal themes that highlight O’Bannon’s world view and the universal themes that bind us together. O’Bannon is married to Marva O’Bannon and is a father to six children. He can be contacted at don@obannonstudios.com or his website at obannonstudios.com/shop-art
Barbara Mason
Barbara Mason is the owner of Dragonfly Studio Creations art gallery/studio and NDueseason Greeting Card Company. Mason combines hyper-realism with vibrant color and abstract forms to put a modern twist on traditional classic images. With each layer of extraordinary detail and color detail, her is intent is to capture the viewer’s curiosity and imagination as her paintings come to life. Each painting is a visual documentation of her journey as a painter.
Mason’s work is collected nationally and internationally and she has exhibited all over the country. Mason has also travelled extensively all over the world to get inspiration for her work. She is a juried member of The International Guild of Realism, Artist of Texas and other local art organizations. Mason is married to Photographer Artist James Mason. Barbara’s work can be seen at dragonflystudiocreations.com
James W. Mason
James W. Mason serves on the board of North Texas Performing Arts. For most of his adult life, James has been a novice photographer. James enjoys venturing out into the unknown and capturing the beauty of nature and the unique and often overlooked vignettes that surround us daily. James moved to Frisco, Texas from the Midwest in 2007 with his family. He knew that he needed to connect with the art community as soon as possible, in order to continue his passion for the arts and helping others.
He and his wife are owners of Dragonfly Studio Creations art studio/gallery. In 2017 he graduated from the Leadership Arts Institute (LAI) sponsored by the Business Council for the Arts (BCA). LAI has given him the opportunity to serve various communities in numerous board and committee and advisory positions.
James’s photography has been exhibited at American Airlines Center, Capital One Headquarters, Plano Art Association, The Cove, Pencil on Paper Gallery, Msanii Hous Fine Art Gallery, Winnsboro Center for the Arts.