digital aesthetic

May 2020 - Update

I’ve been quarantined at home for 6 weeks now, due to Covid-19, but I’m still working remotely full-time. Over the past month, I’ve been working on another Glitch Series, Glitch Series 05. When I initially started Glitch Series 01 back in 2017, I had always thought that I would finish the series by stitching them together in quilt-like fashion. However, somewhere along the way, my thought process changed. Thus, I ended up presenting the work as a diptych, showing each digital and cross-stitched image in a double-window matted frame.

Glitch Series 01 - Crop_5.jpg, 16”x20”, archival inkjet print, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 2017

In September, at the Vermont Studio Centre, I started a new body of work titled the Translation Series. Since then, I’ve been contemplating the final presentation of this work and I’m still unsure of how it will look in the end. I recently remembered the cross-stitch quilt idea I had for the Glitch Series and thought this could be the direction to take for this series.

Vermont Studio Center, September 2019

Therefore, I decided I would test this quilt idea with the latest Glitch Series 05, as a sort of maquette. I’m hoping that once I complete this “quilt”, I’ll see whether it is successful or not as a means of presentation for my cross-stitched work. This weekend I finished cross-stitching the 9th piece for Glitch Series 05. The next step will be figuring out how to stitch the grid together. I’m anticipating it will be a process of trial and error, but I’m excited to push myself to try something outside of my comfort zone.

(Work in progress) Glitch Series 05 , 2 1/8” x 2 1/8” (each), embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 2020

Lastly, here’s another progress shot of Stitching Loose Ends. This is an ongoing piece where I’m cross-stitching loose threads that are leftover from other projects. I’m always looking for ways to reduce waste in my art practice, as well as everyday life.

Stitching Loose Ends (progress shot), 2018-2020, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 16 inches wide x 2 5/8 inches thick

June 2019 - Update

  • Spring 2019 Wine + Art Walk

  • Glitch Series 03 - Progress

Spring 2019 Wine + Art Walk

On May 30th, We Are Pie Artist Collective participated in the Spring 2019 Wine + Art Walk, in Downtown Abbotsford. Although I wasn’t able to attend in person, below is a photo of some of the art our collective had on display at The Kindred Clothing Co.

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Glitch Series 03 - Progress

I’ve been working on hard on Glitch Series 03 and my goal is to finish the series by the end of the month. I only have three more to complete the series for a total of 9. Then I’m planning to finish Glitch Series 04 which is already in progress.

September Update

Things have been super crazy while I've been getting ready for my two exhibitions coming up in October. Therefore this will be a short blog! Amongst all of the chaos I did manage to create some new art! I also recently finished a cross-stitch commission based off of an 8-bit video game called, Chrono Trigger.  

Glitch Series 01

Since returning home after the completion of my MFA thesis I've been taking it pretty easy and trying to allow myself some sort of break. I've recently completed a new project titled Glitch Series 01, which involved converting a series of digital image glitches (sourced from images generated in Photoshop) into a cross-stitch pattern which was then completed as a cross-stitch work. 

The images used for this project were a series of glitches that occurred one day while I was working on another project in Photoshop. The file that I opened did not appear the way that it was supposed to, instead it was a collaged mashup of several files which I had opened within the past week or so. Instead of dismissing this unexpected moment as a computer failure, I accepted it as a gift. It was as if the computer had gotten frustrated with the overwhelming amount of information and data I had given it within a short span of time and this was its way of materializing that frustration. The computer had spoken and I wanted to savour every last moment of it that I could. 

I proceeded to save and alter these strange glitches that reloaded and occurred each time I saved the file. I adjusted the curves and colourations of some of the images before saving them, in order to enhance the artistic, almost painterly qualities. In the moment it was a highly energized, playful interaction, a constant wave of communication that fluctuated between myself and the computer.

I stored these glitch images in a folder on my hard drive, unsure of my future plans for them. It wasn't until I began integrating cross-stitching into my thesis projects that I realized this is what the glitch series would become. 

I selected 9 cropped sections (below) of the single glitch image (above) to create a series of images that would then be converted into a series of cross-stitches. 

The 9 selected images above were then uploaded onto a website called StitchFiddle.com, where they were converted into cross-stitch patterns. Below are the resulting cross-stitched works.

Each piece is approximately 3.5" x 3.5". I'm still working out the kinks for final display but currently my plan is to frame each digital image with its corresponding cross-stitch partner in a 20" x 20" frame with a double window matte. Below is a rough mock-up of what each of the final pieces will look like framed. 

This project evolved and developed over a long period of time, but I am extremely happy with the results. I wouldn't be surprised if I continue doing more cross-stitch works with a digital aesthetic in the future.