yes

those who master then go on to create the NEW

pah!!

i think everyone who tries to develop a skill has to keep in mind at all times that there is always more to learn. the moment you think you know everything, you'll get stuck.

and get boring

indeed. it's what they remind us of at school all the time: 'don't you dare to think you know everything'

I see differece between "mastery" and "perfection". You can master an instrument in the sense that you are very familiar with what you are doing with it, whether it's one style, many styles, or all. However, there is something more you can learn on anything. There are new techniques that can be developed at all times since there are endless possibilities with the interaction with any object. It is not possible to perfect it as a result

mastery is not perfection nor is it knowing every thing. it means the ability to do whateevr it takes to play anythng,

exactly. The OP makes it seem as if mastery is a process that may/may not "max out" artistic potential

I guess it gets to the point where the only limitations are things like playing faster than the speed of light.