mfa

MFA Thesis Exhibition

Last week our MFA Thesis Exhibition titled 3...2..1.Chaos opened and I defended my thesis I Come From a Long Line of Machines. 

I Come From a Long Line of Machines investigates the repetitive processes of embroidery, finger knitting, digital image-making using Photoshop, and how they are similar in their use of mechanical systems. By engaging in a collaborative process with different machines and tools, I attempt to share control of artistic production. I address notions of artistic authorship, chaos, order, control, infinity, and mechanical repetitive systems. I embrace systematic processes in order to create art that is similar to that of a programmed machine. By doing so I am able to gain perspective into the ways in which machines and humans are alike.

End of Final MFA Semester

Things are starting to get wrapped up quickly over here in Winnipeg. This past week I finished my final semester of my MFA. All that's left is one last revision of my thesis, some finishing touches to get my projects exhibition ready, and then my thesis defence. I'm not going to share lots of photos of the work I'll be showing for the thesis exhibition, cause I'd like to keep it as much of a surprise as possible for those who will be attending.

For next month's post I will be sure to include lots of installation photos of the exhibition! In the meantime, check out the poster we designed for our exhibition, titled "3...2..1.CHAOS". For those that want to attend the exhibition try to come to the opening reception on Friday, May 26 from 6:30-8:30pm. 

On another note, I've been starting other projects now that my thesis work is almost complete. I've started experimenting with digital drawing using an app called Adobe Draw. I got a stylus for Christmas this year and I'm finally starting to get some use out of it, now that I've got more free time. Check out some of my digital drawings below (some of these have been manipulated further in Photoshop). 

Lastly, I've completed another cross-stitch square. It was based off of a computer image glitch that occurred during my hours and hours of digital pattern making. It's the first square of a series of glitch squares that I will be creating. The cross-stitch measures 50x50 squares, which is just under 4"x4". 

Mid-Semester Update and Thesis Breakthrough

For the last month I've been focusing most of my energy towards creating simple animations using Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. However, these are very large files and I'm having difficulty uploading them. Therefore, I am only going to be able to share one of these animations with you and it's not even my favourite. This was the only one that was small enough to upload on Vimeo without paying for an upgraded account. Check out the animation below!

P.S. this animation is meant to be played on a constant loop. 

A couple of weeks ago I installed my installation project titled "Strokes, Strokes, Strokes" which is a hanging paper piece created with brush and india ink. The installation is not complete without the sound recording of brushstrokes played at various speeds and rhythms. The slower parts are calm and meditative, while the faster parts are aggressive and emphasize the obsessive repetitive process. 

After having critiques for both projects shown above, I took some time away from the studio to process the feedback and comments from my committee. It's a constant challenge and dilemma to try and decide how much to listen to the committee and how much do I go with my gut and keep doing what I'm doing. These soul searching moments are where I usually come up with the strangest ideas and for a short time I was going off the rails a bit. 

However, after thinking about all of the research I've been doing this past year or so, I think I've finally figured out the main focus of my thesis work. My thesis work has been an exploration and investigation of the relationship between the artist and computer. The computer, just like a paintbrush, pencil, pen, etc. is a tool, which mediates the process of creation between artist and artwork. In this sense, I often think that I never truly have complete control over the creative process since I must always use these different tools. Whichever tool I use, it becomes an extension of my intentions and ideas and does it's best to interpret or translate these thoughts into a work of art.

Stemming from this idea of the computer as a tool, that I cannot entirely control, I've been trying to create works in which I allow the computer to control more and more of the process. I am obsessed with control, so you can imagine that this has not been an easy task. I created a series of three works in which I wrote a list of instructions with 20 steps each and in the end I would have a work of art whose final image would be a complete surprise. Check out the images below to see the results.  

Final Year Begins

Summer has come to an end and it's less than a week until I'm back into the swing of things for my last year of my MFA program. I have mixed feelings of anxiety, stress, and excitement about the upcoming academic year. By June 2017, I will finally be done with school most likely forever or at least for a while. Not sure what my plans are going to be after graduation at the moment. I'll look for post-secondary teaching jobs or possibly apply for artist residencies abroad. But for now I'll be mostly focusing on the year ahead, which means making a concrete body of work for my thesis exhibition and writing my thesis paper.

Check out some of the most recent MFA projects I've been working on. 

Summer MFA Studio Progress

Although I am home in BC for the summer and trying to have as much of a "summer break" as possible, I am still expected to continue working on my MFA studio work and thesis. This is a look into the work I have been creating over the summer. 

First I began by creating source images based on three themes or areas of focus. In my last blog I shared images of the first theme "Leaves/Nature". The other two themes I've been working on are "Ocean Life" and "The Human Body". 

Below are the drawings/paintings I created from referencing a documentary film on ocean life.  

Below are drawings/paintings I created by referencing my Human Anatomy textbook from University. 

With these source images I finally began to work back into Photoshop to create digitally produced works of art.

Below I will show the source images first and then the resulting digital artworks that have been formed from the initial image. 

Tulip Tree Leaf

Puffer Fish

Leg Muscles and Bones

Deltoid Muscles

Fish (no reference)

Coleus Leaf

Abstract (No theme)

It's been an interesting experiment trying to incorporate more specific reference images into my source drawings. There are aspects that I find pleasantly surprising, but mostly I find myself falling back to my comfort zone of abstraction. When I create abstract works its seems less straining and forced. I feel that my best works are those that flow naturally from within and are created based off an intuitive process, which I find is a much more relaxing and easing approach. 

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day everyone! What an amazing country we live in. I can't think of a better place to live. Living in such a beautiful country and province, it's not very surprising that I love nature. I've been doing lots of biking since I've been home in BC for the summer. I try to take my sketchbook with me every chance I can so that I can sketch things while I'm taking a break on longer bike rides. Last week I biked 26km from Crescent Beach to White Rock Beach and back home. Here are a couple of sketches from the journey. 

 

I also started to do some more watercolour which I'm very excited about, since I only really started to get into watercolour last year. I recently did a series of watercolour paintings of leaves that are based off of images found in a book I bought from Black Bond Books in South Surrey. After I painted them, I added fine line details with a black pen. 

This series of leaf paintings are going to be used as source images for a new digital artwork I will be creating as part of my MFA studio work. I also have two other projects I will be creating during the summer for my MFA including one based off of the human body and one based off of sea creatures/sea-life. Stay tuned to see more of my MFA summer projects! 

Coming Home

My first year in the MFA program is almost complete. I will be home in two weeks and I couldn't be any more impatient. I find myself missing the mountains, especially since everyone from BC has been posting photos of the nice weather all over social media. This longing for the mountains inspired me to paint a landscape in my studio the other day. Here is how it all came together. 

I started by using a paint brush and india ink to create an outline of mountains, a lake, and some trees. I visualized a scene from my camping trip last summer in BC. Next I added line details using coloured micron pens. 

Coming Home, India Ink and Coloured Micron Pens on Bristol, 11"x14", 2016, Mallory Donen

Afterwards I scanned the above image using a flatbed scanner. I used Photoshop to generate the panorama landscape image below. 

It's amazing how much you can miss things from home that you often take for granted. Can't wait to come home and be reunited with the mountains. 

From the Studio to the Computer: Making Patterns

This semester I've had two courses that have kept me very busy with lots of reading. To be honest I haven't spent a lot of time in the studio. This is also due to the fact that I've been creating a lot of work from home on my computer using Photoshop. But the day before open studios I found some time to be in my studio and play with all sorts of different materials and processes. I decided to use this spare time to let go, relax, have fun, and experiment with whatever I had lying around.

I had some pre-mixed paint that I had been storing in some old tupperware containers for a couple months and I was going to clean it up. I then proceeded to use paper towels to scoop out the old paint. But instead of throwing out the paint, I used the paper towel similar to the way I would use a sponge to apply texture to several sheets of bristol. I also mixed some paint with crackle paste medium and used a palette knife to create shapes and textures on cardboard and card-stock. Lastly I ripped a small piece of canvas and collaged it onto a sheet of stonehenge with some of the paint and crackle paste.

Although I was creating with little intention, in the back of my mind I knew that I would be able to use these small pieces as sources to create digital patterns. The next day when everything had dried I scanned all the images using a flatbed scanner at the school. Below are the patterns that I created using the above experiments. Each source image precedes the patterns that were produced using that image. 

Patterns really can be created out of anything and everything. The world is my oyster! I'm feeling so inspired these days and I don't see it ending any time soon! 

- Mal 

Pattern Frenzy

Sunday, November 29th: 

Pattern frenzy?! What does this mean?! Well I've been slightly more pattern obsessed than usual. It all started after one of my professors asked if I had ever thought of printing on fabric or creating wallpapers. That's when my mind went crazy I began making patterns in Photoshop with anything and everything that I had access to. So basically this meant making patterns from my paintings, drawings, and photographs. 

Fire Hose, 8x10", Silver gelatin print, 2015, Mallory Donen  

My first experiment began when I cut out a fire hose from a photograph I had taken with my 35mm camera. I decided to scan the image since I found that the shape left behind looked interesting and I wanted to make a pattern from it.  

Next I began making patterns using old photographs I had taken with my DSLR. 

Here you can see how two photographs taken with my 35mm camera were combined to make a single pattern. 

The next group of patterns were created using test strips from the darkroom. The test strips were then scanned and manipulated in Photoshop to produce the images below. 

Negative scratching can come in various forms, some examples may include literally scratching a film negative with a sharp tool such as a push pin, paper clip, or even a nail. However, painting or drawing onto a negative is also a form of negative scratching. The photographs below were created by painting india ink onto blank negatives. The ink cracked upon drying which created a unique and intriguing naturally occurring pattern. The images were then scanned and digitally manipulated in Photoshop to create various patterns. 

This next series of patterns were created using photographs from a new project titled Paper Sculpture series. 

Here's a set of patterns I created using these ink drawings/paintings. 

Untitled, 8x10", Ink and water-soluble pencils on rag paper, 2015, Mallory Donen

Untitled, 8x10", Ink and water-soluble pencils on rag paper, 2015, Mallory Donen

This photograph is of an object I created for my Print Media class in 2013. The sculpture was created with a styrofoam ball and pipe cleaners. I also used this image to create several patterns. 

MFA Studio Sneak-peak

Sunday, November 15, 2015:

I know that I've been slightly MIA lately, but I promise it is because I have been working extremely hard in my studio at the U of M. I'm inspired everyday by my peers, faculty, and my surroundings. It seems like I'm constantly writing down new ideas for projects in my sketchbook. So here is a sneak-peak into my studio and what I've been up to these past couple of months. Enjoy and feel free to share! 

Daydreaming is a series of painted photographs, 
click here to see more of this project and the process of how they were created.

Daydreaming (series in-progress), 36x28", Acrylic on canvas photographic print, 2015, Mallory Donen

Remember my project Freedom Versus Control? Well I am currently recycling it into a new project. I've been cutting out shapes with an exacto knife and doing various things with them. I started out thinking I was going to use them to make collages, but then I began rolling them to keep them from curling and I discovered that they make interesting sculptural objects. That's when I started to glue them and create rolled paper sculptures. Here is a glimpse into what they look like, but you'll have to wait and see the photographs that I shot of them in the studio the other day (I need time to edit them). 

I've also shot a couple rolls of film since I've arrived in Winnipeg. I haven't had a lot of time in the darkroom as they took a while to get everything set up in the new building. But here is a look at some of the photographs I've taken around downtown Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba campus. Some of the photos have been manipulated in either the darkroom or Photoshop.

Here are some photos I took one day in front of my studio mural titled Fiesta. Click here to watch a time-lapse video of how the mural came together. 

That's all I am willing to show at the moment, until next time.

Check out my 2016 Calendars if you haven't had a chance!