Influence and Inspiration: The Art of Jill Hooper, Ben Long, and Frank Mason

Influence and Inspiration: The Art of Jill Hooper, Ben Long, and Frank Mason celebrates three artists devoted to classical training and united by friendships that span multiple generations. Mason was an influential teacher at the Art Students League for over fifty years and a passionate supporter of the arts. In the 1960s, Mason taught Ben Long, a promising young artist from North Carolina. Long has since distinguished himself on the international stage as a realist and a prolific fresco painter. Charleston-based artist Jill Hooper studied under Ben Long, who remains an important mentor to this day. Like Long, Hooper is a realist painter who has earned international acclaim for her powerful portraits, landscapes, and still-life paintings. Together, these artists demonstrate a commitment to the techniques of the Old Masters while offering their unique artistic perspectives on contemporary life.

Influence and Inspiration includes both paintings and drawings by each artist. The drawings reflect the rigorous training and preparation behind each finished painting and offer a glimpse into the artist’s working process. Subjects range from portraits and genre scenes to large-scale religious paintings.

This exhibition is sponsored by Mary Walters, Martha and Charley McLendon, Alice and Lance Wyatt, John and Patricia Hazlehurst, Cynthia and John Hayes, Ann Long Fine Art, Society 1858, and ArtMag.