visual art

September 2020 - Update

Over the past month, I’ve been writing, painting, cross-stitching, and finishing two new video works. I’ve been working on my proposal, budget and supplemental responses for the Canada Council Research & Creation Grant. Now that I’ve received edits and feedback from a few peers, the next step will be for me to work on revisions.

I’ve also been working on the second painting in the Translation series, painting one 1/4 inch square at a time. I’ve been trying to figure out what the final presentation or form this series will take. I think I’ve landed on the decision to combine all 9 pieces into a stitched (quilt-like) grid. I’m interested in the juxtaposition of using the medium of painting and combining it with female craft-based processes. I’ll do this by using a needle and thread to hand sew the painted pieces on canvas together.

I completed another cross-stitch piece System Failure 02, which is part of a series of three I’m currently working on. The cross-stitched images are partially “unfinished” in order to give the appearance that it is “glitched”. I like to think of them as glitches within glitches. The second glitch or system failure refers to the glitch that occurs when the human machine (me, the artist) executes the project.

System Failure 02, 8x10 inches, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 2020

System Failure 02, 8x10 inches, embroidery floss, Aida cloth, 2020

Lastly, I’ve finished two new video works below. Part 1: Introduction - What Am I? interrogates the definition of artist, machine, and woman. The video documents a month long process where even rows of white thread are cross-stitched for a few minutes each day. At the onset of my menstrual cycle, I proceed to unstitch and undo all of the work that was done prior. There are pressures and expectations that come with being a woman and an artist. As a woman, it’s embedded in my biology to reproduce, but that doesn’t mean that I will. The audio track that plays throughout the video poses questions surrounding productivity and ponders what it means to go against what is typically expected of a programmed machine. As an artist if I’m not producing work, I often feel guilty, as though I am ignoring the very thing that I am programmed to do. Can I be an artist and a woman and not produce? Or does this go against the very nature of my existence?

Part 2: What Happens to a Stressed System? shows how societal pressures that come from being an artist, machine, and woman, can lead to an overwhelmed system that is doomed to fail. The video begins with a functioning system of productivity, consistency, and archival documentation. As the video progresses, glitches begin to integrate and disrupt the flow of the system in both the video and audio components of the piece.

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.

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

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

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).

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

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!

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

July 2019 - Update

  • Glitch Series 03

  • Solo Exhibition: I Come From a Long Line of Machines

Glitch Series 03

This past month I’ve been spending approximately 20-24 hours per week cross-stitching whenever possible. Why, you might ask? I was determined to finish Glitch Series 03. I’m happy to say that I did it! This series will be framed in 18x24” frames, each cross-stitch and glitch image is approx. 5.5 inches. I’m so happy to have another series under my belt, but I’m also looking forward to completing Glitch Series 04 which is currently in progress.

Solo Exhibition - I Come From a Long Line of Machines

Only a month away till my solo exhibition: I Come From A Long Line of Machine at the Ranger Station Art Gallery, in Harrison, BC. If you haven’t made any August long weekend plans, why not make a day trip out to Harrison for the opening reception on August 4th, starting at 2pm? The show will include Glitch Series 01, a new series of Instruction Tables, The Machine: Knitting Ouroboros, Think Like a Human Act Like a Machine, When I Cross-Stitch I Feel Like a Machine, and a few other Glitch Series pieces!

Ranger Station Solo Exhibit Poster.jpg

May 2018 - Update

RAW: Vancouver

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Thanks to everyone who showed up to support me at the RAW: Vancouver showcase back in April. For those of you who couldn't make it, don't worry there's always next time! The event was a success and I definitely learned some valuable business skills while preparing for the show, setting up, tearing down, and of course throughout the night while interacting with lovers of art and newbies alike! I love hearing everyone's opinions and reactions to my work. It is especially interesting getting feedback and unique perspectives outside of an academic setting (this is still fairly new for me). Please check out a selection of photos from the event below, taken by the official photographers, Mike Chen Photography and Evan Chen Photography.

Paint by Numbers Series

Watch me choose the next set of squares for Pattern #2, which is part of the "Paint by Numbers Series". The series of quilted paintings, further explore ideas from my thesis "I Come From a Long Line of Machines".

Settling In to My Vancouver Apartment/Studio

A week or so ago, I finally hunkered down and spent a day hanging my art onto my walls. My apartment now feels like a mini gallery of my work and it feels a lot more like home. It's also starting to feel more like a studio and a space where I can be inspired to continue to create on a constant basis. Instead of looking at blank walls, I look up and I can see a timeline of my art over the past several years. This inspires me to keep going and to assess where do I go from here? What do I want to make now? 

There are days when I'm not sure what project to work on and sometimes I question why I'm spending every spare moment of my time on art. But when I look around my space and remember how far I've come and how hard I've worked on my art, it pushes me to keep on moving forward. I've been reading "In the Company of Women" by Grace Bonney and it's reminding that being a creative individual is hard work, and it takes time, patience, and perseverance. These are things I struggle to often remember, but I'm doing my best to be present in the moment and enjoy the journey. I have to keep reminding myself that every artist starts somewhere and I'm just at the cusp of being an emerging artist. Patience doesn't always come easily to me, but it's something I'm working on. Like a muscle, I know it'll get stronger with more exercise. 

Fall Exhibitions!

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. 

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

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

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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

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.

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.