End of Semester Critique

April 22, 2016

Yesterday I had my final critique of the first year of the MFA program at U of M. I installed new work I had made since my midterm critique in one room, and I installed the work that I made in the first half of the semester inside of my studio.

Staying within the medium of digital art, I've been pushing myself even further with this new approach. I am using the computer to make complex patterns from drawings, paintings, and photographs. There are multiple layers with varying degrees of transparency. Sometimes I cut and paste sections into random places on the image or I delete sections altogether. My process has become very collage based and I like to recycle old works into new ones. My practice continues to surprise me and it is in a constant state of transformation and development.

I'm so happy with the work that I have produced during my time in the MFA program. I never could have imagined this is what my art would look like. One of the most valuable things that I've learned this year is that artists need to take chances and try new things. I believe that this is the only way artists truly reach their full potential.

I'm excited to return home in 9 days! I can't wait to spend time with friends and family. I'll be working several jobs including sports photography, coaching indoor and beach volleyball. The rest of my summer will be spent playing beach volleyball, hiking, running, biking, and making art.

Coming Home

April 17, 2016

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 — *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.

The Brush Off! Winnipeg, MB

April 11, 2016

This past Friday I participated as 1 of 15 artists in a live painting competition called The Brush Off! It was part of a fundraiser for the Manitoba Children's Museum at the Forks in Winnipeg. Proceeds raised from the event will be going towards enhancing exhibitions at the Children's Museum, the creation of educational programs, and helping fund the Free2Play program which provides free museum visits for under-supported children in the community. The first round of painting was a 30 min warm up round where all 15 artists completed a painting as people were arriving for the event.

This was the 18x24" painting that I completed for the warm-up round of the competition. I kept things as simple as I could in terms of color palette and went with a combination of blues and purples.

Round 1

Shortly after the warm-up round began Round 1 of the competition. I chose my painting station last which proved to be a disadvantage. There were five artists in a square formation in the section of the museum name "Times Square", this is where the majority of people at the event spent most of their time. Although the MC announced throughout the round that there were 15 artists to check out and vote for, I am unsure how many votes or even how much traffic even came my way. Once the round began I was pretty much "in the zone" and vaguely aware of my surroundings. Needless to say I was not 1 of the 5 artists to go on to Round 2 of the competition.

Round 2

Round 2 was another 30 min round of painting with all of the artists competing in "Times Square". During this round all of the paintings from the warm-up round, and Round 1 were placed in an area where they were set up for a silent auction. There was also catered food and alcohol available throughout the night.

Paintings from warm-up round and Round 1 being silent auctioned off.

Round 2 - Megan Krause (Left) and Zephyra Vun (Right).

Round 2 - Times Square. Kritaps Balodis (Left) and Megan Krause (Right).

Round 2 - Kristaps Balodis (Left) and Megan Krause (Right).

Round 2 - Gregor Awang.

Round 2 - Zephyra Vun (Left) and Gregor Awang (Right).

Round 3

Two artists from Round 2 moved forward to compete head-to-head in the Final Round.

Final Round - Runner up Gregor Awang.

Final Round - Winner Emilie Lemay.

After they announced the winning artist of the evening, the two paintings from the Final Round were live auctioned off. Overall it was a very fun event with lots of art, food, wine, and of course lots of money raised for a great cause! I hope to do this event again next year :).

From the Studio to the Computer: Making Patterns

March 27, 2016

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

MFA Open Studios

March 19, 2016

Yesterday we opened the doors to our MFA studios and shared our work with faculty, students, and the public. It was very interesting to see the range of reactions to my work depending on the background of each individual. Many of my visitors saw the connection of my patterned practice in relation to textiles, fabric, quilting, and printmaking.

I found myself explaining my process and the evolution of my work since first starting in the MFA program. My work has changed and progressed quite a bit over the course of two semesters. Being able to see the wide range of work I've created this year has allowed me to see the connections that exist within all of my work. The route of my practice is in pattern formation and obsession with details. Oliver Botar (Art History Professor) linked the idea of "horror vacui" to my obsession with pattern, which simply means "the fear of empty space". The focused meditative process of filling empty spaces with repeated lines and shapes has always been a calming ritual act that has helped me cope with stress and anxiety. Getting lost in the process takes my mind to a place without worry, its a place I can escape to whenever I feel the need to do so. Being in control of the creative process gives me a sense of calm and satisfaction, something I can relate to in almost all aspects of my life.

Pattern making is a process with infinite possibilities. Anything and everything can be repeated in order to create a new pattern. Everywhere I look I am able to find inspiration, while waiting for people to stop by my studio I found myself taking photos on my phone. Sometimes I can find inspiration in the places I never thought I would find it, such as the tape left behind after taking down some of my work.

Pattern Frenzy

November 29, 2015

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 — *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

November 15, 2015

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 — *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!

Canada Day by the Bay 2015

July 02, 2015

Wednesday, July 1, 2015:

Today was my first time ever showing my art at a vendor booth. Canada Day by the Bay was a great experience and I learned lots about what to do and what not to do. First off location is key, the organizers of the event positioned my booth just west of the pier which is where the majority of the pedestrian traffic is concentrated. However, this section of grass has a fairly high ledge which takes a solid effort for people to actually step up and come into the booth. This definitely was a negative, as the demographic of White Rock is mostly seniors, and of course families with strollers and small children.

Another challenge was that the grass where my booth was located was on a slant. Therefore, I had to be make sure that my canopy and easels were set up so that they would not blow over when there was a large gust of wind. I was able to secure the canopy, but we had a couple moments of panic when paintings and easels went toppling over. Note to self: bring bean bags to weigh down the easels. The easels and paintings weren't the only things we had to worry about. Everything that I had laid out on the back table such as drawings, prints, and frames, would blow away when it was really windy. We ended up taping the drawings and prints to the table but this didn't work for long either. A better solution would have been to use some sort of paper weights.

My favourite part of the day was painting live in my booth. I started out a little shaky because I was a bit nervous painting where everyone could see me, but I'm almost positive that the wind had something to do with it too. Afterwards, I was able to focus on the painting and I really got into it. I would hear people walking by saying "Oh, look she's painting!". It was a pretty cool experience. Sometimes I could feel that someone was watching and I didn't want to be one of those anti-social artists so I would say hello. However, a lot of the time once someone knew that I knew that they were watching me paint they would scurry away as if they weren't supposed to watch.

It was a challenge working with paints in the heat and humidity since I had to work fast so that my paints wouldn't dry out. I brought a small travel container for some water, as well as a small syringe, which I used to add water to my paints when they needed to be rejuvenated. I finished the painting earlier than I had expected and I wish that I had brought other canvases with me to paint because I finished the painting before the biggest rush of the day. Once I finished the big painting I painted a couple small paintings on 6x6" cardboard. After that I drew a pen drawing on a postcard and painted it with watercolours.