Janice Mason Steeves

I've just returned from a full month away.  I've been teaching workshops in cold wax medium and oil in Winnipeg, Vancouver and Salmon Arm, BC,  putting into practice all that I've learned this long winter when I was unable to paint because of my broken wrist.  I've learned lessons on analyzing paintings and teaching how to see and formulate a vocabulary to begin to talk about art. There seems to be a pattern in the workshops. Sometime during the first day, Chaos descends.  At least for most people.  I don't know how it happens, but I see it more regularly the longer I teach.  Usually she lands sometime in the first afternoon.  People who are used to making things..paintings or sculptures, who normally can find a way to use materials to create, at least, the beginning of something, seem to lose their way.  They become frustrated with themselves, often ending up with thick muddy textures.  I suggest they paint quickly and work on many...

Safe Home  42x42" oil/cold wax on panel © 2012 Janice Mason Steeves I am back in the land of the healed!  My arm is out of the cast, my right foot is almost better-whatever was wrong with it, no one still knows-and my eye is totally better.  Hallelujah.  It's been quite a winter.  I haven't been back into the studio yet.  The wrist is so weak and vulnerable still.  But soon.  After a bit of physiotherapy. Meanwhile, I am still getting lots of prep work done for my classes and having interesting email conversations with other artists. Today I received an email from an artist friend in Winnipeg who asked a group of us, "What effect does narrative have on an image?"  He wondered about the value or importance of text to support an image, such as an artist's statement or even a title.    I wrote back to say that  I have found that writing adds another dimension to my work.  My painting is totally intuitive ...

Last week I gave a cold wax and oil workshop in Winnipeg to these artists.  All of them have been painting in acrylic for many years, so cold wax and oil was a big departure for them. And even though I suggested that they make 'bad art' in one exercise during this class, there were some really exciting paintings that came out of the workshop. I've probably written about making 'bad art' before.  The idea was mentioned in the book, the Tao of Photography , as well as  in Eric Maisel's book, "Coaching the Artist Within ": "To create we have to take the bad with the good.  We're bound to write bad paragraphs along with good ones.  That's the eternal law.  We can get rid of those bad paragraphs later on, but first we must write them.  Otherwise we won't write anything at all.  If we try to write only the good paragraphs, we are three-quarters of the way toward paralysis.  The name that we've coined for this problem is 'perfect...