December 2022 - Update

• Xmas Art Market @ City Centre Artist Lodge (Dec. 3 + 4)

• Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

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Xmas Art Market @ City Centre Artist Lodge (Dec. 3 + 4)

❄️ It's a Winter Wonderland in Vancouver! ❄️

What better way to get into the holiday spirit than to check out the Holiday art market my studio this weekend?

🎄 Support local artists & businesses this holiday season and make someone do a happy holiday jig for joy 💃.

😋 Eat some food truck goodies, have a drink & stick around for the live music festival presented by Ice Cream Truck Live⁠ 🎶!

CONNECT X-Mas Market & Music Festival: Love is the Warmest Colour.⁠ ⁠

⁠When: Dec 3 & 4, 11am-7pm⁠

⁠What: This two-day community festival will combine an open studio art sale with live music and food trucks for a unique, immersive, celebration of Vancouver’s creative spirit.⁠

Where: City Centre Artist Lodge (2111 Main street - Main & 6th)⁠

⁠⁠I'm in studio# 211 ⁠
Upstairs under the big #1⁠
Entrance on the Main Street side.⁠

View event info & full list of artists.

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Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

I’ve been busy working on getting this mixed textile project completed by the end of the year. With that said I still have lots to do before I’m done, so I’ll be keeping this blog update short and sweet. Here are some photos of the most recent progress.

March 2021 - Update

Highlights

• Canada Council for the Arts - Research & Creation Grant

• Art Hole Magazine, Issue 9, February 2021

• Seeking the Periphery, Virtual Exhibition Launch, Mar 11, 6:30pm EST

• Uncompressed, Group Exhibition, Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery, Coastal Carolina University

• Digital Carnival Z, Virtual Public Presentation, Artist Panel, May 2021

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At the end of February I received some amazing news! The Canada Council for the Arts informed me that my application for a Research & Creation Grant was successful. This means that I’ll be receiving funding to complete my proposed art book project. More to come on the project later, right now is the time for celebration and reflection. This is a major milestone in any artist’s career and I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for their recognition and validation of all my hard work and determination over the past few years. It’s not always easy staying motivated to pursue an art career while at the same time maintaining a career which helps me sustain a living. But now I’m confident in saying that dreams really do come true and this is just the beginning of more milestones to come.

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My focus over the last month shifted from creating to research and reading. Readings included cross-stitching techniques, the history and future of technology and the connection between technology and women. I surprised myself because this was the most I’ve read in years and it made me feel like I was back in school (but in a good way)!

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Lastly, I’d like to share some news about where I’m currently showing and will be showing my art. I was recently published in a UK magazine called Art Hole: 9, for their February Issue, which can be purchased online.

This month my new cross-stitch series Remnants of the Manmade will be part of the virtual group exhibition, Seeking the Periphery at the Paul H. Cocker Gallery, Department of Architectural Science, Ryerson University in Toronto. The virtual exhibition launch will be taking place Mar 11, 6:30pm EST, via dasxhibitions.ca. and free admission tickets are available through Eventbrite.

Later this Spring 2021, my video Part 1: Introduction - What Am I? will be exhibited in the group show Uncompressed, at the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery, at Coastal Carolina University.

Along with two others artist I will also be presenting a virtual public presentation in May 2021. The Artist Panel (key words: gender, labour, surveillance) is part of the 9th Annual Digital Carnival: Z, organized by Cinevolution Media Art Society.

Horror Vacui - Exhibition Documentation

Earlier this year I was in a group exhibition at Deer Lake Gallery, in Burnaby, called "Horror Vacui". The show included myself, as well as two fellow UFV BFA grads, Kendra Schellenberg, and Julie Epp.

For those of you who were unable to make it out to see the exhibition in person, here are some documentation photos of the exhibition. 

Painting on Multiple Canvases at Once: A Look Into Mal's Process

Saturday, June 6, 2015: 

I spent most of today working in the studio. It was a beautiful hot and sunny Saturday in White Rock, but I chose to spend the day painting. I bought a bunch of 12X12" canvases from Opus the last time I was there and I've been itching to get them painted. I only completed two out of the four canvases that I started today but I'm very happy with how everything turned out.

Today I practiced working on multiple canvases at once and it's definitely something I'd like to start doing on a regular basis. Here's why: 

Painting multiple canvases at a time is really helpful when you are adding lots of layers and you don't want your colours to blend or get all muddy.

I begin by choosing a colour and painting it out in an interesting shape on the one canvas and then move onto the next. This allows the first canvas to dry before I go back into it and add other colours or patterning on top of that layer.

As I continue, I start thinking about complimentary colours and unexpected colour combinations that might make for a unique composition. My ideas are always changing and in the end the paintings are not what I initially envisioned. But I'm always satisfied with the result. The best thing about painting with acrylics is that if you aren't happy with how something turned out you can always paint another layer over the part that you don't like. 

One of the biggest challenges that I often face while painting is knowing when to stop. I often get too excited and go a little crazy with the patterns and details. I do like it when I am able to control this obsession with detail and leave room for flat areas of colour that help balance the overall chaotic composition of the patterns. 

All in all it was a productive day and I hope I've given an insight into the way that my artistic process evolves during a day of painting in the studio.