Janice Mason Steeves

Evening on the Lake of Dreams Soirée sur le lac des rêves

GALERIE D’AVIGNON ART CONTEMPORAIN CONTEMPORARY FINE ART

Evening on the Lake of Dreams Soirée sur le lac des rêves

JANICE MASON STEEVES May 2 to 23rd Reception Saturday May 2, 2 – 5 pm Du 2 au 23 mai Reception Samedi le 2 mai, de 14h à 17h

GALERIE D’AVIGNON ART CONTEMPORAIN CONTEMPORARY FINE ART

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 29, oil on panel, 80"x28".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams In the market of old Marrakech, I met an elderly traveller with remarkable eyes. Pulling me aside, she told me this story with urgency, as though there were little time to tell it. “Many years ago”, she said, looking into my eyes with an unsettling intensity, “I embarked on a quest to find the mythological Lake of Dreams. I dedicated my life to it.” ”One day”, she said, “pulled by an invisible force, I found myself on the shores of a round golden lake. Enormous water lilies, all shades of orange and red as though kissed by the setting sun, whispered softly to me as my canoe glided over them. I was lulled into a foggy dreamlike reverie and somewhere in the mists of a moment I realized that I could understand the language of these flowers. I doubled over in sadness at the beauty of their words. When the grief of some deep longing finally abated, I lay back in my canoe, exhausted, my eyes red. I was enfolded in the strange but certain comfort of knowing I belonged here—that I had found home.”

The traveller stopped momentarily, overcome with her memories. “I awoke sometime in the night”, she continued, “with mists of thick, warm fog encircling me. My canoe moved slowly on its own over the surface of ghostly ancestors, toward a dim light glowing in the distance and as the fog parted momentarily, I floated through a portal, a spiritual gateway. I saw an enormous golden bowl on the edge of the lake and people sitting in meditation looking up at this brilliant vessel that was lit from within. A kindly figure in a hooded cloak rose to help me from my canoe as it reached the shore. I felt comfortable with this woman as if I had always known her. As we walked together toward the huge glowing bowl, I could feel strong waves of energy coming from it, and some untold joy pierced my chest, filling me with warmth. I was in the presence of the sacred. This was the Vessel of Creation. A vessel of truth and hope.”

“Eventually, I was instructed to return and tell of this golden vessel on the Lake of Dreams.

As I left, the cloaked woman smiled as she put her hand on my heart and said, ‘This is an inner journey, not an outer quest.’ She chanted a blessing into the wind, pressed a green stone into my palm, then sent me back through the mist and the water lilies.”

A crowd of people pushed past us in the Marrakech market. When I turned, the elderly traveller was gone and I found a small green stone in my hand.

Janice Mason Steeves

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 26, oil on panel, 24"x24".

Soir e sur le lac des r ves Dans le marché du vieux Marrakech, j'ai rencontré un voyageur, une personne âgée avec des yeux remarquables. Elle m'a racontée cette histoire d'urgence, comme si il y avait peu de temps pour raconter.

"Il ya de nombreuses années", a t-elle dit, en regardant dans les yeux avec une intensité inquiétante », je mène une quête pour trouver le mythique lac des rêves. J'ai consacré ma vie à celle-ci. " «Un jour», dit-elle, "tiré par une force invisible, je me suis retrouvé sur les rives d'un lac d'or ronde. D'énormes nénuphars, toutes les nuances orange et rouge, comme si elles étaient embrassées par le soleil couchant, me chuchotèrent doucement comme mon canot glisse sur eux. J'ai été bercé dans un brouillard de rêve et de rêverie, quelque part dans les brumes d'un moment, j'ai réalisé que je pouvais comprendre la langue de ces fleurs. J'ai doublé au cours de la tristesse à la beauté de leurs mots. Lorsque la douleur de certains profonds désirs s’est enfin apaisée, je réside dans mon canot, épuisé, les yeux rouges. J'ai été pliée dans l'étrange, mais Le voyageur a arrêté momentanément, continua avec ses souvenirs. "Je me suis réveillé dans la nuit quelque part", a t-elle poursuivi, «avec des brouillards épais, chaud brouillard m’entourant. Mon canot se déplaçait lentement sur sa propre surface d’ancêtres, vers une lumière éclatante ,je flottais à travers un portail, une porte spirituelle. J'ai vu un grand bol en or sur le bord du lac et les gens assis en méditation, à la recherche de ce brillant navire qui a été allumée de l'intérieur. Un chiffre dans un manteau à capuchon est passé à l'aide de mon canot.

Je me suis senti bien avec cette femme, comme si je l'avais toujours connue. Comme nous marchions ensemble vers le grand bol vibrant, je pouvais sentir de fortes vagues d'énergie venant d’elle, d’immenses joies de ma poitrine, me comblant de chaleur. J'ai été dans la présence du sacré. Ce fut le navire de la création. Un navire de la vérité et d'espérance. " "Finalement, j'ai été chargé de retrouver et parler de ce bateau en or sur le lac des rêves. Comme je l'ai quitté, la femme enveloppée sourit comme elle a mis sa main sur mon cœur et dit: «C'est un voyage intérieur, et non une quête extérieure. Elle chanta une bénédiction dans le vent, appuyée sur une pierre verte dans ma paume, puis m’amena à travers la brume et les nénuphars.

Une foule de gens, poussés dans le passé, nous accueille au marché de Marrakech. Quand je me suis tourné, cette personne avait disparu et j'ai trouvé une petite pierre verte dans ma main.

Janice Mason Steeves

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 6, oil on panel, 18"x18".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 21, oil on panel, 8"x10".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 7, oil on panel, 24"x60".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 15, oil on panel, triptych 24"x72".

Je me suis retrouvé sur les rives d'un lac d'or ronde. D'énormes nénuphars, toutes les nuances orange et rouge, comme si elles étaient embrassées par le soleil couchant, me chuchotèrent doucement comme mon canot glisse sur eux.

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 34, oil on panel, 24"x24".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 32, oil on panel, 36"x36".

I found myself on the shores of a round golden lake. Enormous water lilies, all shades of orange and red as though kissed by the setting sun, whispered softly to me as my canoe glided over them.

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 27, oil on panel, 36"x36".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 23, oil on panel, 8"x10".

Selected Solo Exhibitions 2009 Evening on the Lake of Dreams, Galerie D’Avignon, Montreal, Quebec 2008 Turn-Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario Turning to Center-Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta 2006 Mudan-Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario 2005 A Light on the Ganges-Trias Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 2004 Flower-Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario Galerie D’Avignon, Montreal, Quebec Public Collections: Bishop Strachan School The Fred Victor Centre, Toronto, ON Government of Ontario Art Collection Halton Children’s Aid Society Schulich School of Business, York University The Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour Diploma Collection HOOPP (Hospitals on Ontario Pension Plan) Corporate Collections: Affinity Wealth Management CIBC World Markets, London, UK Dan Lawrie Insurance DeLoitte & Touche First Gulf, Mississauga Fromeyer Holdings, California, USA Glista and Associates Group Dynamitem, Montreal Hilborn Ellis Grant HQ Headquarters Intrawest Corporation Kilmer Van Nostrand National Bank Financial Newton & Blair Design Association Pontalex RBC Dominion Securities Restaurant Anise, Montreal Senvest Collection, Montreal Taggart & Galt PLC Inc. Taylor Leibow The Manor House, London, UK The Residences of the Artisan, Toronto Thistle Mining, Edinburgh, UK Trafalgar Capital Management

2003 Flowers for Rose-Trias Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 2002 To Hold a Fleeting Moment Galerie D’Avignon, Montreal, Quebec Peony-Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario 2001 The Journey Home-Trias Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 2000 Red Passages-Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario 1998 Memories and Dreams-Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario 1992 Iceworks-The Gallery at Inniskillin Winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario First Light-Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario Selected Group Exhibitions 2008 Mixed Images, juried The Gallery at R&F, Kingston, New York Surfaces, juried, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario OSA in the GTA, invitational, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario 2007 Lotus, invitational, Atelier Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia From the Studios, invitational, Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 2006 Encaustic, invitational, Galerie D’Avignon, Montreal, Quebec Regeneration, juried, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Voices, invitational, Woodstock Art Gallery, Woodstock, Ontario

2005 Toronto International Art Fair-Toronto, Ontario 2004 Flower/Fleur, juried, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, Ontario Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, invitational, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, Ontario 2003 About Water, juried, The Varley Gallery, Markham, Ontario About Water, juried, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, Ontario 2000 OSA 2000: Representation -The Lt.-Governor’s Suites, Toronto, Ontario Into Body-juried, The Varley Gallery, Markham, Ontario Flora 2000: The Millennium in Japan, Awaji Island, Japan 1999 In the First Person: Five Women from the Prairies, invitational, Mississauga The Great Round, invitational, Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario Spirit, Mind, Body -John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 1998 A Space for Light, invitational, Carnegie Gallery, Dundas, Ontario 1997 Art and Healing, juried, Artwest Gallery, Jackson Wyoming 1993 National Watercolor Society, juried, Los Angeles, California 1992 Perry Gallery, invitational, Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario

Selected Publications 2004 “Summer Gardens Captured on Canvas” -Toronto Star 2003 Feature article: “Cycles” -Stir Magazine -Toronto, ON Painting featured on HGTV-“Designer Guys” International Artist Magazine –Master Painters, Canada Showcase 2002 ‘Artist captures the peony’s fragility”-The Burlington News 1999 ‘Plugged In”-Mississauga Cable TV interview re “In the First Person” The Wild Women of the West”-Mississauga News, A Sense of Place” -The Canadian Forum Plugged In”-Burlington Cable 23 television interview re: “The Great Round” 1998 “Historic Vessels” -The Oakville Beaver A Space for Light” -Fusion Magazine Hamilton Cable 14 TV, Carnegie Gallery interview 1997 TV 23 Interview-Burlington Art Centre 1993 “Portfolio”-The Oakville Beaver 1992 CIUT Radio Interview with Jodi Glaser, Aug. 28th Cover Story-Niagara Falls Review Catalogues 2009 Lake of Dreams – Galerie d’Avignon 2002 Flower-Abbozzo Gallery 2004 Mudan-Abbozzo Gallery 2008 Turn-Abbozzo Gallery Grants & Awards 2008 Life Members’ AwardOntario Society of Artists juried exhibition ”Surfaces”

1997 Nora E. Vaughan Award, Ontario College of Art & Design 1993 Elected Member-National Watercolor Society, U.S. Elected Member-Ontario Society of Artists Elected Member-Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor Related Activities 2006 Jury-York Region Juried Exhibition-Varley Gallery, Markham. ON Exhibition Chair-Regeneration-Toronto, ON 2003 Jury-York Region Juried Exhibition-Varley Gallery, Markham, ON Chair of the Water Project-an OSA initiative where 67 galleries across Ontario held concurrent exhibitions about “Water” in the U.N.’s International Year of Water 2001 Jury-Mississauga Arts Awards Jury-City Hall Art Show 2000-2003 President-Ontario Society of Artists 1998-2000 Vice President-Ontario Society of Artists 1999 Exhibition Chair-HomeToronto, ON 1998 Exhibition Chair-Sacred Earth-Toronto, ON Education: 1997 Ontario College of Art and Design-Honours Drawing and Painting 1969 M.A. Clinical Psychology, University of Manitoba 1967 B.A. University of Manitoba, Major in Psychology Born:Regina, Saskatchewan

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 16, oil on panel, 48"x45".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 25, oil on panel, 8"x10".

Elle chanta une bénédiction dans le vent, appuyée sur une pierre verte dans ma paume, puis m’amena à travers la brume et les nénuphars.

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 30, oil on panel, 26"x80".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 28, oil on panel, 18"x18".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 24, oil on panel, 8"x10".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 31, oil on panel, 18"x18" .

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 19, oil on panel, 18"x18" .

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 11, oil on panel, 24"x80".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 14, oil on panel, triptych 18"x54".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 22, oil on panel, 8"x10".

Evening on the Lake of Dreams 12, oil on panel, 24"x80".

“Eventually, I was instructed to return and tell of this golden vessel on the Lake of Dreams. As I left, the cloaked woman smiled as she put her hand on my heart and said, ‘This is an inner journey, not an outer quest.’ She chanted a blessing into the wind, pressed a green stone into my palm, then sent me back through the mist and the water lilies.”

GALERIE D’AVIGNON ART CONTEMPORAIN / CONTEMPORARY FINE ART

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