Shannon Lester Soul Journey

In the Mezzanine

Soul Journey

Artist Statement

This exhibition includes a selection of my paintings from 2020 until now. Some of these have not been exhibited before and some are from my exhibition, ‘Sea of Love’, at Lake Country Art Gallery in 2021. During the pandemic I took the opportunity to go inward and journey through my inner worlds. Interestingly, I became much more connected with nature and I also connected deeply with my own spirituality. These works range from fantasy to surrealism to nature worship and they all have a strong connection to mysticism. When forced to go inward, I discovered that some of the most beautiful and intriguing landscapes we can explore are in our dreams or when we connect to the incredible realms of our imagination. Though some might discard inner exploration as childish, impractical, or irrelevant to the physical world, these inner journeys that I embarked upon were incredibly healing and significant for me in my own personal and artistic development. This is a small selection of a very large body of work I created over the past few years, and I hope the viewers can catch a glimpse and perhaps get inspired to go inward and maybe even embark on their own healing journeys, as well. 

Artist Biography

Shannon Lester, MFA, is a Kelowna-based artist, drag performer, and teacher. Born in Vancouver and raised in Newfoundland, Shannon has always had a deep affinity for the ocean. This was solidified during his six-year stay in Osaka, Japan where he started performing in drag around 2010. Shannon now teaches painting, performs regularly as his alter-ego Sasha Zamolodchikova, and hosts the popular monthly event Drag Queen Paint n Sip at Dunnenzies Mission and other locations. Shannon has resided in the Okanagan off and on for over twenty years and is where he now calls home. 

Follow Shannon’s current creative endeavours at @shannonlesterart on Instagram, Shannon Lester Art on FB or www.shannonlester.com.