Braking for Beauty: New Paintings by Mark Shasha

The Guild of Boston Artists is proud to present Braking for Beauty, an exhibition featuring the work of Guild artist Mark Shasha. The show’s 30 painted landscapes depict fleeting experiences that leave strong impressions: beauty that demands attention.

As many of us return to the world of seeing artwork in person, Mark Shasha fills our senses with color, light, and texture, rendering nature in an ethereal fashion. Exploring the compelling power of surrendering the eye to beauty, the artist highlights not only the environment itself, but the way the viewer engages with the sublime. As Shasha writes: “These moments and their stories are fleeting and I am driven to paint them in an effort to record something important; to seize the moment, to not let it pass unnoticed and to catch something not just of what it looked like but what it felt like as well.”

After participating in Plein Air festivals across the United States, the pandemic provided time for Shasha to meditate on the familiar New England Coast, helping him rediscover his approach to light and color. Breaking for Beauty reflects the artist’s journey of growth and maturity in his expression. The paintings featured in this show offer broad contemplations of the defining moments in nature that demanded our attention.