Masterworks: Meet Janice Mason Steeves

​Janice was born in Saskatchewan, grew up in Edmonton, and moved to Winnipeg to attend the University of Manitoba, where she graduated with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology. She held School Psychology positions before leaving the field to focus on painting. Further studies were completed at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Janice is represented by galleries in Canada and the U.S. and has work in public, corporate, and private collections in North America and internationally. She has been awarded artist residencies in Spain, Ireland, Sweden and Iceland.

​As an established artist of 35 years, Janice has been sharing her knowledge both in her Art Mentoring program and in the painting workshops that she teaches in Canada, the US, and Europe. She has also become interested in inspiring artists to create a whole new response to the environmental crisis that goes beyond facts, pessimism, arguments, and blame, and instead offers up what nature means to our spirits; the love of it. Janice has developed an art teaching initiative called Workshops in Wild Places. In these unique, innovative workshops, students travel to remote locations throughout the world to experience the beauty, energy and power of the wild landscape, to deeply and joyfully connect with it, and then–– through a facilitated contemplative and creative process–– translate that response into abstract paintings.