December 2021 - Update

• ArtRich 2021 Exhibition at Richmond Art Gallery

• Uncanny Cross-Stitch

• Stitching, Unstitching (working title)

• Embroidery floss organization

• Stitching Loose Ends (ongoing work in progress)

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ArtRich 2021 - December 3 – December 31

Richmond Art Gallery
7700 Minoru Gate

Opening Reception: Dec. 3, 6pm-9pm
Timed entry for the Opening Reception for ArtRich 2021. Visitors welcome to view the exhibit in 45-minute time slots. Register on EventBrite.

Richmond Art Gallery is delighted once again to partner with the Richmond Arts Coalition (RAC) for the fourth bi-annual, juried exhibition. The exhibition celebrates local talent by providing an opportunity for emerging and established artists from Richmond and nearby communities.

Gallery viewers will be able to participate in the People’s Choice Awards. Results will be announced in Richmond News early January 2022.

In a partnership with the City of Richmond, three ArtRich-selected artists will be featured in a public art exhibition for the No.3 Road Art Columns from February 1 to July 31 in 2022.

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Uncanny Cross-Stitch (1), 7 x 5.5 inches, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 2021

Uncanny Cross-Stitch (1) is the first of a new series that was inspired by some of the digital art work I made while I was studying my MFA back in 2016. The reference images I used to create the cross-stitch patterns were multilayered digital imagery that I created using Photoshop. The source images used for these digital works were photographs of architecture and mundane industrial objects/structures such as fire hydrants, lamps posts, windows, and more! I’ve always been fascinated with these sorts of things and I love how they exist everywhere in the world, but each has their own unique character and design.

I’m interested in the idea of bringing things to the forefront that may go unnoticed or unseen. As I write this blog, I’m realizing there’s a parallel between these everyday mundanities that go unnoticed and the often invisible labour of women, which is a theme I’ve been exploring throughout this past year. I’m looking forward to producing more works that use handmade feminine craft processes to translate imagery of manmade masculine objects/structures. If you don’t remember or haven’t seen my cross-stitch series Remnants of the Manmade, this was my first endeavour into this new body of work that I will continue developing.

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Stitching, Unstitching is the working title of a new work that I’m getting ready to start. The other day I ironed and cut a large piece of Aida cloth in preparation. For this project, I will log hours of labour spent cross-stitching white thread on white Aida cloth, approx. 16 x 16 inches (224 squares x 224 squares), in a 24-inch embroidery hoop. After the cross-stitching is complete, I will proceed to unravel all of the stitching and log these hours as well. The threads, labour logs, Aida cloth, and embroidery hoop used during the process will all be part of the final presentation.

This work is both conceptual and process-based. The absence of a finished cross-stitch piece directs the viewer towards the suggested labour that was performed but is no longer visible. The labour executed in this piece is two-fold: first there is the labour required to stitch, second there is the labour required to unravel the piece. In the end, the only evidence of this labour is the documentation of the hours logged. This represents how women often work tirelessly, only to have their labour undervalued.

By using a traditional craft technique, the project explores women’s unrecognized labour. The process of hand stitching emphasizes the value of physical labour over mechanical production. Although the labour is invisible, the viewer can imagine the movements, the time, the traces of what used to be there, as well as the woman and artist that the labour was executed by. Overall, the piece invites the viewer to question the value of women’s labour, productivity, and craft.

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Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been doing one of the most satisfying things, organizing my embroidery floss collection! I’ve accumulated quite a lot of thread over the past four years and I thought it was time to make things easier to find and replenish stock when I run out of a particular colour that I need to finish a project.

At the end of 2017, right before I moved to Vancouver (and really when I started to focus more on cross-stitching within in my art practice), my mom and I went to a flea market in White Rock where I scored a huge stash of embroidery thread for a steal of a deal! Then in September 2019, while I was at the Vermont Studio Centre for an artist residency, I realized I hadn’t brought enough supplies to last for my trip and I would need to buy some more thread.

Well I didn’t have a car and there weren’t any local stores in small town Johnson, VT that sold embroidery thread. It was recommended that I join a neighbourhood buy & sell group, where I posted an advertisement asking if anymore in town had supplies I could purchase. Well lucky for me, someone nearby offered to give me (yes give me) any of the thread from their (even bigger than mine) collection. Another steal! Needless to say I’ve received lots of deals and freebies over the years, but a lot of the threads were odds and ends and they needed to be grouped together with their family of colours. So I’ve finally organized them all and they look spectacular (if I do say so myself)!

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Lastly, I recently added to my ongoing side project Stitching Loose Ends. It may not seem like it, but it is growing, slowly and steadily!

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Stitching Loose Ends (ongoing work in progress), embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 16 inches wide x 4.5 inches thick⁠, 2018-2021

May 2021 - Update

• Feminist Craft of Care for Times of Crisis: a presentation panel

• A WAY Online Art Gallery

• Open Call - Submit your Story

• Work in Progress - Funded Art book Project

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Feminist Craft of Care for Times of Crisis: a presentation panel

On May 13th @6:30pm-8:00pm PST, I will be presenting at an artist panel “Feminist Craft of Care for Times of Crisis”, alongside Lena Chen & Sarah Shamash. The panel is part of Digital Carnival Z an annual festival run by Cinevolution Media Arts. I’m very excited to be part of such a well run event and to be presenting with such amazing and talented artists. Register online through Eventbrite to attend the event for free.

I will present works from the past several years which investigate notions of labour, productivity, and the value of art in relation to craft and women’s work. Instead of becoming reliant on computers and other advanced technologies that are accelerating the speeds of production and consumption alike, I choose to look back to centuries-old practices that have been passed down through generations of women. I explore the parallel between repetitive processes and computer programming by taking on the role of a machine.

By embracing time-consuming processes such as hand-stitching, I emphasize the importance and value of women’s labour. As a female artist, my labour is feminized and inherently connected to women’s domestic work. I challenge expectations of traditional craft by introducing conceptual layers and experimentation with new media. Throughout my artist talk, I will bring awareness to the value of feminine art forms and the connection between craft and fine art.

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A WAY Online Art Gallery

GlitchSeries04 - Crop_1_crop.jpg, Archival inkjet print and embroidery, 11 x 14 inches, 2019

Glitch Series 04 is available for sale at A WAY Online Art Gallery for the next couple months, check out their website for my work and art by some other amazing artists!

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Open Call - Submit your Story

Women’s stories surrounding pain will be chosen to be part of a conceptual art book project, mirrored with images of delicate handkerchiefs and embroidery.

Submit your anonymous stories and experiences of when you felt the need to hide either your emotional/physical pain in order to avoid pity or shame for being too sensitive.

Let us contradict the stereotype of women as pure and fragile by demonstrating the perseverance, dedication, and strength of women. 

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Work in Progress - Funded Art book Project

The past month has been jammed packed with many hours of cross-stitching, as I begun working on my project funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. First, I received my new embroidery stand and hoops in the mail. Second I fully prepped a piece of Aida cloth by securing the edge with stitches, to prevent fraying. I even marked the vertical and horizontal middles with stitches, which is something I rarely do!

For this project, I am creating an art book consisting of scans of my Ama’s original handkerchiefs and corresponding cross-stitched replications of each pattern.

I have chosen and scanned nine handkerchiefs, which I am converting into cross-stitch patterns. Using the patterns, I am cross-stitching nine embroidered pieces (approx. 6x6 inches each), which are scanned once completed.

After each cross-stitch piece is completed, I will mirror the cyclical structure of a woman’s existence and allude to the concept of invisibility, by recycling the same piece of Aida cloth and the same strands of embroidery thread for each new pattern. I will unravel each completed cross-stitch replication and re-stitch the next handkerchief by reusing the same material.

The art book will consist of pages with a scan of a handkerchief on the left and a scan of the corresponding cross-stitched piece on the right. It will also include stories selected from an anonymous open call (Submit your story to be a part of the project). The stories will be examples from women who have had to hide or pretend that they were not in pain in order to avoid pity or shame for being too sensitive.

Throughout April, I completed three of the nine cross-stitch pieces. Each piece took an average of 25 hours to cross-stitch and 14 hours to unstitch. It’s weird to think that the only evidence of these works will be the final scans/images that will be included in the art book. Although it may seem unusual, it adds to the conceptual aspects of the work, by emphasizing the invisibility of the labour. This connects to the idea of women’s labour and pain as invisible.

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I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

August 2020 - Update

This past month I’ve spent most of my time working through ideas and organizing my thoughts. I’m so happy to have found a “groove” again when it comes to working through my thought process. I finally find myself reaching for my sketchbook throughout the day, as my thoughts constantly stir and jump in different directions. Although this headspace can be confusing and scattered at times, it’s home for me. It’s a place of comfort and where I feel most myself.

There’s nothing like the feeling of a creative “high” and I have to admit that I’ve done a few happy dances around my apartment when ideas come to me out of nowhere or when I finally work on that project or task that I’ve been avoiding. I recently looked through all my old sketchbooks and folders on my computer. Looking back at work that I was making while doing my MFA has helped ignite a flame of inspiration within me!

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Pattern I (Front View), canvas, acrylic, 19.5” x 19.5”, 2020

With this new found motivation, I’ve prepped another canvas to start the next painting in the Translation Series, which I started back in September while I was at the VSC residency. I’ve also been brainstorming lots of old and new ideas for future projects. Specifically, I’m contemplating a project which I’ll use to apply to Canada Council for the Arts, Research and Creation Grant. This will be my first time applying for a grant, so I’m giving myself plenty of time to prep and work through my ideas. But so far I’m really enjoying the initial process, since this is the part where i get to brainstorm and write down all the projects that have been stewing in my head, or forgot to write down!

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Last week I finished reading The Artist’s Guide to Grant Writing, by Gigi Rosenberg, which is a great resource, and all in all another source for inspiration. One important thing I got from reading the book, was something I haven’t done before, I learned that I should be fundraising. Apparently It’s helpful when applying for grants to include fundraising efforts in the budget you submit with your application. No matter how big or small the amount you raise, the jury is always happy to see that you care enough about your project to outsource funding prior to applying for a grant. Once I read this, I knew this was something I should be doing, even if it’s mainly to help make my grant application stronger.

This Monday, I’ll be having my first Flash Art Sale on Instagram! Everything will be priced at either $5 or $10, so it’ll be a sale that’s affordable for everyone.

The purpose of the sale is to fundraise money for my art savings. Funds from my art savings will be used for supplies such as embroidery thread, Aida cloth, paint, etc., and Adobe Creative Suite. I’m hoping to create more book projects in the future, but I don’t currently have InDesign, which is a very necessary tool when making/designing books. So I’m hoping to purchase this application with the money made from the sale and some supplies with the rest.

Please share in your stories to help spread the word!

The sale goes live at 9am, this Monday, August 3rd.

July 2020 - Update

This month I’ve made a significant shift in my practice towards a new evolution of work. I’ve decided that it’s time to cut ties with the Glitch Series, as I want to create work that is more focused on the idea and process, rather than the end result or finished piece. Part of the reason for this is that I’ve always been fascinated by processes, patterns, and the physical act of making something.

System Failure 01, 8x10 inches, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 2020

When I started System Failure 01, my intention was for it to be a continuation of the Glitch Series, however, it evolved into something new. The image used was still sourced from a glitch image, however, this time I intentionally left parts of the cross-stitch unfinished. By doing so, I’ve created a glitch within a glitch. Although the work is made by hand, it’s reminiscent of a digital image that was disrupted, due to a “system failure” and was unable to load properly.

While I was doing my MFA, my thesis advisor Kevin Kelly commented on my work “you really don’t care about aesthetics, do you?”. In the moment, I was caught off guard and was honestly a bit offended by the observation. As an artist, you start out thinking that aesthetics is the most important foundation of art. We learn from a young age that if you can make something aesthetically pleasing, then you have artistic talent. Therefore, I took this comment about my work as a slander to my skills as an artist. I didn’t completely disagree with what he was saying, in the context of the work, however, I still felt conflicted about what it meant to make art that considered aesthetics an afterthought.

Since then, my work has evolved and I’ve further expanded my approach to making art using systemic processes which follow patterns and pre-established rules. I’ve only recently come to the realization that Kevin’s assertion about my work was in fact spot on. My strongest, most focused work is that which does not concern itself with aesthetics. What matters most for my art practice is the processes, patterns, methods, and systems that I use to make art as though I am a machine. By taking aesthetics out of the equation, I distance myself from the creative intent of the work. I generate art using labour intensive repetitive systems which allows me to become more like a machine than an artist, or perhaps an artist machine. 

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Work in progress, embroidery, Aida cloth, 2020

So I thought to myself, how do I remove the aesthetics from a work of art? How do I create something that doesn’t exist physically, but instead, focuses on the importance of the process? I’ve been working on a new project with these ideas as the foundation and inspiration for the work. I’m cross-stitching on a regimented basis for a a few minutes every day. Using white embroidery floss on Aida cloth, I’m moving away from creating an aesthetic pattern and instead I’m simply cross-stitching straight lines. I’m also documenting the process using my iPad to capture the daily practice.

I began my daily stitching ritual on the 7th day of my menstrual cycle (once the bleeding stopped) and I will continue with this ritual until the cycle has ended. On the first day of my next cycle, I will proceed to un-stitch the embroidery thread and start the process all over again. Thus, I won’t have a “finished” physical work in the end. The final presentation of the project will be in video format and I will also create an audio component that goes along with it.

The work will continue to explore the idea of artist as machine, as well as woman as a machine. I want to question the definitions of artist, machine, and woman. In my practice, I see each of these things as being connected and often interchangeable to each other.

After reading Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” I became cognizant of the fact that women are machines and reproduction is embedded into their existence. Similar to any machine, women do not have a control over the system/program that they are born with. But what if a woman doesn’t full-fill her program to reproduce? Whether by choice or by circumstance? Which makes me wonder what it means to be a machine or an artist that doesn’t full-fill their pre-established programming? Can you be an artist machine that doesn’t produce work?

March/April 2020 - Update

Hello everyone, I hope you’re all hanging in there! No matter where you’re stuck in quarantine, we’re all in this together! Needless to say, that with the current situation (covid-19) things have definitely been challenging. I’ve been working my day job remotely for the last few weeks and will continue to do so until further notice. I didn’t post last month due to some computer difficulties, so I’m excited to share photos of finished works, which I hope will help bring some joy to your day!

Side note: back in January/February I read a book called “Just Kids” by Patti Smith, which was a biographical love story between herself and Robert Mapplethorpe. I really enjoyed the poetic nature of her writing and the glimpse into their lives as struggling artists in New York City in the 70-80s. If you’re looking for something to read, I would highly recommend it.

Alright, time to switch gears and update you on my art practice! Over the past couple of months, I finished the last two cross-stitched pieces from the Translation Series, which is a series of 9 in total. The next step will be to “translate” each of these cross-stitched pieces into paintings. You may or may not remember that I completed one of these paintings back in September while I was at the Vermont Studio Center Residency.

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Translation #8 Paint By Numbers, 2020, acrylic, canvas, embroidery floss, 4 x 4 inches and Translation #8- Cross-Stitch, 2020, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 6 x 6 inches

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Translation #9- Paint By Numbers, 2020, acrylic, canvas, embroidery floss, 4 x 4 inches and Translation #9- Cross-Stitch, 2020, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 6 x 6 inches

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Translation #1-9- Cross-Stitch, 2019 - 2020, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 6 x 6 inches each

While my computer was out of commission, I focused on finishing another painting from the Paint by Numbers Series. This was another project I worked on while I was in Vermont, but to be honest I don’t enjoy hand-stitching these painting as much as I do cross-stitching. I think it’s because it takes more concentration to push the threaded needle through canvas with paint, rather than through a gridded canvas with holes (cross-stitching).

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Pattern F (front view), 2020, canvas, embroidery floss, graphite, 19.5 x 19.5 inches

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Pattern F (back view), 2020, canvas, embroidery floss, graphite, 19.5 x 19.5 inches

Lastly, I’ve finally been spending a more focused effort on a project I started a couple years ago (it’s been a side project). Stitching Loose Ends is a time-based piece that uses up remnants of embroidery thread leftover from old cross-stitch projects. I’m always looking for ways to reduce my waste, whether it’s in my every day life or my art practice. This piece will eventually be shown in a group shown with We Are Pie art collective at the Kariton Gallery in Abbotsford. The show was scheduled to open in July, but I anticipate this will be delayed due to covid-19 closures. As soon as I have an update I’ll let you know when/if the show is re-scheduled.

Until next time, please stay safe and healthy!

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Stitching Loose Ends (progress shot), 2018-2020, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 16 inches wide x 1 3/4 inches thick

April 2018 - Update

I have three updates for this month's blog: 

1. RAW: Vancouver 

2. White Rock Youth Mural

3. Paint by Numbers Series

RAW: Vancouver

I will be presenting/selling my art at RAW: Vancouver, on Thursday, April 12th. The event is a showcase of various creatives across several different disciplines including fashion designers, musicians, hair stylists, visual artists, and more! Ticket sales go directly towards supporting the artists who are participating. Therefore, even if you are unable to attend, you can still support me!
Hint, hint, nudge, nudge...

Tickets are sold here, on my RAW artist profile. As always I'd love to see as many friendly faces as possible! I'll be offering a 20% off discount to anyone who buys a ticket from me. Also I will have a basket full of discounted items, as I am trying to flush out some old work from my inventory in order to keep my work more consistent. 

I've been working hard during some time off from my full-time job, in order to create more work and come prepared for my first real art market experience. I'm so excited, and I'm sure it'll be an event like I've never been apart of! 

Check out photos below of some of the new art I've been making especially for RAW! 

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#WhiteRockYouthMural

In March, I started on a youth mural mentoring project with Rachel Kirkpatrick and Semiahmoo Arts. We've been meeting for the past three weeks with several students from Elgin Park Secondary. After a few days of exploring ideas and concepts, we finally completed the sketch/layout for our mural and the concept has been approved by the city! This means that later in April we will start to paint the actual mural. Hurray! I'm excited, the students are excited, and I can't wait to get this painted, so that everyone can come see it when they visit White Rock! This is a student led project and I'm so eager to see them take on their first mural/public art project. 

Below are some images of the workshops we've had over the past few weeks. Stay tuned for more photos of the process and of course the final reveal of the mural.

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Paint by Number Series

I've been working on a new series of paintings that stem from ideas I wrote about in my thesis (I Come From A Long Line of Machines). Below are photos and videos documenting the process, as well as a video revealing the selection of the first squares, used to create the first quilted painting of the series. 

I briefly explain the concept behind a new series of paintings I've started called the "Paint by Numbers Series", which further explores ideas from my thesis "I Come From a Long Line of Machines". I also do a reveal of the squares used in my first quilted painting by following a pre-established pattern.

A timelapse showing the machine artist at work; hand-stitching the squares for the first painting in the Paint by Numbers Series of quilted paintings.

Fall Exhibitions!

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I'm excited to share that I will have two exhibitions coming up this Fall! The first is a group show with some fellow classmates, Julie Epp and Kendra Schellenberg, we all received our BFA degrees from UFV. The exhibition is titled, Horror Vacui, which simply means the fear of empty space. As you can imagine all the works in the show are extremely detailed and obsessive in nature. The show will include works created individually, as well as a collaborative mural we will be painting/drawing directly onto the gallery wall. Read more to learn about each of our inspirations for the show, as well as the exhibition statement. 

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Horror Vacui

Horror Vacui is the fear of empty space and the filling of emptiness with details in a work of art. This visual art expression is an important source of inspiration for artists Mallory Donen, Julie Epp, and Kendra Schellenberg. Each artist struggles with issues of fear, joy, and acceptance throughout their creative process. Donen’s practice is driven by the conflict between order and chaos, and explores the infinite nature of digital imagery. On the other hand, Epp’s process is a battle with fear, inner thoughts, and a search for calm in the mundane creative process. Lastly, Schellenberg uses the overwhelming visual aesthetic of horror vacui to engage in conversations about gender, beauty standards, and acceptance. Everyone struggles with inner conflict; Horror Vacui visualizes the mental chaos of life. Art allows us to engage in moments of deep consideration and at times can be a gateway into a numbing calm, empty of worries or thoughts. 

Mallory Donen

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My process fluctuates between spontaneity and my obsessive need for control. I find comfort in keeping things in order, but at the same time when things become too controlled there is little room for growth and change. That is why I am always pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and intentionally creating moments of disruption. This struggle between chaos and order is the driving force of my art practice. I am constantly introducing ways of relinquishing control throughout the artistic process. But I inevitably end up back where I started, in an ordered, restrained system of creation. My work explores notions of obsession, control, chaos, infinity, and absorption. Inspired by the theme of horror vacui, my art reflects on the infinite calming chaos of digital imagery.

Julie Epp

In an age where lives are lived through online experiences, my brain has become over stimulated. Multitasking, my old friend, is an enemy of productivity; I must embrace the mundanity of focus. My artwork is likely the only consistent focus I’ve had. My mandalas sit inches from my eyes while I draw, and though I am focused, my brain is crashing, burning, bursting with thoughts. It might seem like a good opportunity to be thinking; a chance to be inspired. But the thoughts hang dramatically over me like a creature ready to crush. They are ideas and aspirations but they are also pressure and panic. My work is a chance for me to focus my energy, and it takes a lot of work to get into a headspace where something good comes out of it.

            My mandalas are a product of years of disrupted focus, followed by relief. The sculptures are the opposite: they are a product of intense concentration followed purely by thirst and hunger. To me, horror vacui is about the fear of allowing empty space to be filled by anything but artistic joy.

Kendra Schellenberg

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I have always been drawn to work that contains a lot of detail. When I am creating my own work, there’s always a part of me that needs to prove that my art is worthy of attention, and my solution to this is often to fill it with detail—as if this somehow proves that I care about my work, that it is something of value—because I’ve spent a lot of time on it. At the same time, my art practice is an extension of my feminism, and is a way for me to engage with issues that trouble me. I saw an opportunity to use the overwhelming nature of horror vacui as a means of conveying the overwhelming feeling of needing to conform to gender roles and beauty standards. By incorporating imagery I’ve tapped into in previous work, I hope to dig further into representing the affect of the socially-constructed gender binary that is so prevalent in the media we consume.

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The second exhibition is a solo exhibition, which will feature my new work titled Glitch Series 01. The show will also include a select few works from my MFA Thesis Exhibition. During the opening reception of the exhibition, on Friday, October 27th, I will also be giving an artist talk discussing ideas from my thesis and how it influenced the creation of this new body of work being showcased in the solo exhibition. The talk will also include a slideshow of images that give an even more in-depth look into my process and my hard drive of digital files.