Janet Mason marine artist:
Lunenburg Nova Scotia artworks

Janet Mason artist - Lunenburg paintings in oil, acrylics & watercolors. Since '76, she dedicates her work to Nova Scotia landscapes, seascapes & flora.

One-room school house

A native of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Janet attended one of the area's last one-room school houses. Stonehurst, a small fishing village, holds the heart of her paintings.

A three-mile walk to school provided the inquisitive youngster a new adventure every single day. The memories of those early years will stay with her always. The winding dirt roads, glorious mud puddles, narrow pathways sculpting through the Common Lands hills and stepping-stone paths winding their way through wet, grassy marshlands, hold a very special magic for her. To arrive at school with two wet feet was a common occurrence for this student!

She's always been a dreamer, and loved to be among the quiet grasses and, like the children's story book hero, Ferdinand the Bull, sit and smell the flowers. There was the nostalgic fragrance of Mayflowers in the Spring followed by Tea Berries, Huckleberries, and other wild edible berries in the fall. A few months later, Jack Frost guided her through his Winter Wonderland pointing out the beauty of scarlet Holly Berries surrounded by ice crystals.

Here's Janet leading the pack!

Due to the threat of county school closures, the family moved to, and soon found a special love for, Lunenburg. Janet enrolled at Lunenburg Academy and found her life filled with new adventures. Yet she rarely missed returning to Stonehurst every week-end to visit her grandmother and again through the summers exploring every nook and cranny along the rugged coastline.

Upon graduation, Janet began a career in business, but soon realized she had far too many images in her heart and soul. It was time for her to put them on canvas.

A passion for painting

She started painting in the early '70s when her two daughters were very small, waiting until 1980 before seriously pursuing her passion. For the most part, Janet is self-taught. As well, she attended workshops given by watercolour artist June Olsen, Joy Laking, Jack Reid (CSPWC) and marine oil painter Graham "Buzz" Baker.

To this day, she paints in her beloved Stonehurst, Blue Rocks, Lunenburg and surrounding areas, finding something new and exciting each time she does.

Janet is still inspired by the memories of her youth and paints very much from the heart. Her dad, a fisherman for 51 years, advised her on painting the Sea and Ships. She loves to capture the various moods of the sea and feels its every movement with each brush stroke.

Janet has had four solo shows between 1984 and 1996, and about 20 group shows. Her work is in private collections throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. She loves her home in Indian Path - on the water - of course, and doesn't want to live anywhere else on the planet.