Janice Mason Steeves

Kamaria ©2010 Janice Mason Steeves oil/wax on panel My exhibition, Night Garden , opened at Wallace Galleries in Calgary, Alberta on Saturday, April 24. The show runs until May 8th. I flew out to Calgary for the opening. This very beautiful gallery with its floor to ceiling glass wall is located in downtown Calgary at 500-5th Avenue S.W. All of the paintings in the exhibition can be viewed on the Wallace Galleries website or my website . The day was beautiful and balmy in the morning but just after the show opened at 2pm, the weather turned. It began to rain. Shortly afterward the temperature dropped and it started to snow! Big, fat wet snowflakes. A couple of days later, Calgary was hit with 40cm of snow. I was grateful that it didn't happen during my opening. I have lots of family in western Canada and almost all of them came to Calgary for the opening- from Edmonton, Vernon, Salmon Arm, Red Deer and Winnipeg . And old friends came...

Requiem ©Janice Mason Steeves 2010 This is one of my new paintings that will be in my show at Wallace Galleries in Calgary, AB from April 24 to May 8, 2010. I have written a number of articles about changing direction in art. It's topic that interests me because it happens to me now and again so I enjoy reading articles about other artists' thoughts on this. There was an article in the Artdaily newsletter this week about the work of Therese Oulton with a comment on her changing styles. Her work is being shown at Marlborough Fine Ar t in London, England . "Those who are familiar with Thérèse’s work will be initially surprised by the apparent change of direction that her work has taken. In place of the large scale abstract compositions of the recent past, she is exhibiting here a new series of 24 small format landscapes. The artist, however, sees this new body of work as representing the conti...

Carrizo © 2010 Janice Mason Steeves I think one of the things I love best about painting is play. I love constantly trying out new techniques and materials and using them to push my work into new and unexpected directions. Robert Genn in one of his recent newsletters, suggested a project encouraging play. He encourages an artist to: "Line up a hundred or so small inexpensive panels, papers or canvases and have them ready to go. Give yourself a more limited palette--perhaps half your normal range. Put all reference material and prior works out of sight. If this is not possible, work in a new environment such as a hotel room or friend's cottage. In preparation for starting the program, bring yourself to a mentally uncluttered, dream-like state. Now, over a relatively short period of time, fill the first support with a limited number of strokes. Get your subject matter from the deep well of your memory. Don't finish, move on...

It's been weeks since I've posted on my blog. I find December a disorganized and frazzled month. I get distracted at Christmas and it's all I can do to get into my studio. At the beginning of January though, I jumped back into my work. I've been painting as well as applying for international artist residencies. I find each new year invigorating yet I begin to rethink my work, where it's going and what I'd like to accomplish during the next year. I remember reading Dr. Dolittle to my children when they were small. I loved the Pushmi-Pullyu. An imaginary Pushmi-Pullyu sometimes comes to sit on my shoulder at the beginning of a new year and chuckles into my ear. Part of me appreciates it. The Pushmi side keeps wanting to push me forward in my work, not letting me relax into complacency, goading me on. Part of me can't stand the discomfort that brings, challenging me to find new ways to work. I've been taking up the challenge, trying some new techniqu...

It's been a busy few weeks for me lately. I'm getting work ready for several galleries at once. Just recently I've been invited to join Linda Lando Fine Art in Vancouver. I was delighted to accept the offer and am now getting new work ready to send out there in July. I am also beginning work for my solo exhibition in Calgary next spring at Wallace Galleries. I'll be sending them some new work this summer as well. In my current work, I am continuing the series, "Evening on the Lake of Dreams". Here are three of my most recent paintings.