Janice MASON STEEVES
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In The Vessel Series, I explore the concept of a personal quest like the mythological search for Shambhala or the Holy Grail—the inner search for meaning, peace and wholeness, and the idea of pilgrimage—a transformational journey to a sacred center. I examine these concepts visually through the interplay between a three-dimensional space and a plane. The two-dimensional surface is created by a raised pattern. The underlying world beneath is the archetypal form of a light-filled vessel. The use of patterning emphasizes the exterior of the image—the seductive, material nature of the physical world—the daily patterns of our lives and our schedules and routines. The primal container lies underneath, partly hidden.
The vessel emerged as I searched for an image that would distil the essence of my pilgrimage to Turkey. It was a journey to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Sufi poet, Rumi. As a potter turns the wheel to center the clay, so the Sufi Dervishes whirl around the axis of their hearts. The heart is the center of their turning. As a clay pot must go through fire to be transformed, so Rumi says we must be transformed by the intense fire of love.
The Neolithic pottery from the archaeological sites that I saw on this trip assumed a living presence, a tactile connection with the past. These ancient vessels were made by ancestors whose gene pool is so old that the pots they made are to some degree a heritage to everyone everywhere. Through this pottery, there is an historical connection to early cultures who worshipped the Goddess and beyond that, an archetypal connection to our inner feminine nature.
Influenced by years of working as a potter early in my art career, I enjoy the hands-on approach to the process of art making. My use of materials and my choice of subject matter also reflect a deep interest in what was traditionally considered women’s work. After I apply the surface patterning, I put on paint with my hands, then wipe away with rags to expose the light below. This procedure of uncovering can be seen on another level, as a process of self-discovery between the surface and depths of one’s being.
The vessel emerged as I searched for an image that would distil the essence of my pilgrimage to Turkey. It was a journey to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Sufi poet, Rumi. As a potter turns the wheel to center the clay, so the Sufi Dervishes whirl around the axis of their hearts. The heart is the center of their turning. As a clay pot must go through fire to be transformed, so Rumi says we must be transformed by the intense fire of love.
The Neolithic pottery from the archaeological sites that I saw on this trip assumed a living presence, a tactile connection with the past. These ancient vessels were made by ancestors whose gene pool is so old that the pots they made are to some degree a heritage to everyone everywhere. Through this pottery, there is an historical connection to early cultures who worshipped the Goddess and beyond that, an archetypal connection to our inner feminine nature.
Influenced by years of working as a potter early in my art career, I enjoy the hands-on approach to the process of art making. My use of materials and my choice of subject matter also reflect a deep interest in what was traditionally considered women’s work. After I apply the surface patterning, I put on paint with my hands, then wipe away with rags to expose the light below. This procedure of uncovering can be seen on another level, as a process of self-discovery between the surface and depths of one’s being.
Janice Mason Steeves is an oil painter who creates monochromatic, heavily patterned images in an interplay between surface and subject. Her work is distinguished by her use of light and how it emerges from darkness to create form. Graduating with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Manitoba, she held Clinical and School Psychology positions in Manitoba and Ontario before leaving the field to focus on painting. Further studies were completed at the Ontario College of Art and Design where she graduated with an Honours Diploma in Drawing and Painting and was the recipient of the Nora E. Vaughan Award. She has exhibited annually in solo and group exhibitions across Canada and in the U.S. for nearly 25 years. Her work is included in numerous corporate and public collections both in Canada and internationally, including among others, The Government of Ontario Art Collection, The Schulich School of Business, York, University, CIBC World Markets, London, First Gulf, Intrawest Corporation and the Senvest Collection. Mason Steeves was elected as a member of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1993. She served as President of the OSA from 2000-2003 and in that capacity she initiated and was Chair of The Water Project. In this ambitious endeavor, 67 public and private galleries across Ontario mounted concurrent exhibitions on the theme ‘water’ in the summer of 2003, which was designated as the International Year of Water by the United Nations. Janice Mason Steeves’ home and studio is in the country outside of Guelph Ontario.