February 2023 - Update

  • Solo Show - Womanmade: Crafting Architecture & the Mundane

  • Finished Work - Vancouver Cityscape

  • Work in Progress - Proofs of Labour

  • First Saturday, Feb 4, 12 - 5pm

  • New Work - City Centre Motor Hotel Sign

  • Save the date - Eastside Flea Market, Mar 11 & 12, 11-5pm

Solo Show - Womanmade: Crafting Architecture & the Mundane, February 14 - March 18, 2023, Mount Pleasant, MI

January was a very busy month focused on wrapping up works in progress, framing and shipping artwork across the border to Michigan for my first international solo show!

My exhibition Womanmade: Crafting Architecture and the Mundane, uses feminine craft processes such as cross-stitching and crochet, as well as photography, & digital collage to represent the masculine and manmade. Photographs of architecture and other mundane industrial imagery are translated into handmade representations. The exhibition includes framed cross-stitch works, photographs, digital art prints, and a hanging textile quilt.

Gender bias within fine art diminishes the value of women’s labour. Feminine craft practices such as knitting, crochet, embroidery and other needlework are disregarded for their artistic value. And although I self-identify as a textile or fibre artist, others often label me as a craft artist. It can be difficult to be taken seriously in the field of fine art when there is an association with craft that has a lesser value than other traditionally masculine art mediums, such as painting and sculpture. I challenge expectations of traditional craft by experimenting with new media. I combine cross-stitching, knitting, and digital art/photography to push the boundaries and expectations of craft as a fine art medium.

Finished Work - Vancouver Cityscape

Vancouver Cityscape,⁠ 2023⁠, 35 x 58.5 inches,⁠ mixed textiles, yarn, embroidery thread,⁠ 315 hours of labour

I’m so happy to share photos of my completed mixed textile project! I started this back in April 2022, but at the time it was a lower priority amongst my many other projects. 315 hours of labour later and it's finally done! ⁠ ⁠

The project was a big learning experience, as I've never made a textile piece combining so many different fibre processes. It's a quilt with appliquéd fabric, crochet, cross-stitch, and free-hand embroidery. This work shipped a couple weeks to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan for my solo exhibition! ⁠

Work in Progress - Proofs of Labour

For this new conceptual project, I will be logging hours of labour spent cross-stitching white thread on Aida cloth, using a 24-inch embroidery hoop. ⁠The threads used in the beginning section are the same threads that were used to cross-stitch handkerchiefs from my 2021 book project, Invisible Labour: Cross-Stitching, Feminism, & the Collective Strength of Women. ⁠ ⁠

After the cross-stitching is completed, I will proceed to unravel all of the stitching and log these hours as well. The threads, labour logs, embroidery hoop and Aida cloth used during the process will all be part of the final presentation.

⁠This process-based project will be a representation of how women often work tirelessly, only to have their labour undervalued. Overall, the exhibition will invite viewers to question the value of women’s labour, productivity, and craft.⁠ ⁠

The Art of Slowing Down: Women’s Labor & Craft⁠ May 4 - June 4, 2023⁠
Artlink Contemporary Gallery⁠ Fort Wayne, IN⁠

Proofs of Labour,⁠ 2023⁠, embroidery, Aida cloth,⁠ 24 inch hoop⁠

First Saturday @ City Centre Artist Lodge, Feb 4, 12-5pm

This coming Saturday, stop by to see my latest cross-stitch project of the City Centre Motor Hotel sign (see below) and a bunch of old paintings from my archives that my parents recently dropped off at the studio!

First Saturday is a public monthly artist-run open-studio event.

Come visit artists where they work at City Centre Artist Lodge.

The following artist studios will be open:

Maxine Woogman - Studio # 32
Tracy Anne Northey - Studio # 34
Niki Brown - Studio # 103
Ilena Lee Cramer - Studio # 109
Elana Sigal - Studio # 110
Shelley Saltzman - Studio # 130
Happy Nomad Candles (Hayley) - Studio # 203
Lukas Lundberg - Studio # 208
Mallory Donen - Studio # 211
Paulo OConnor - Studio # 225

Location: 2111 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5T 3C6
Date: February 4, 2023
Time: 12pm-5pm

https://www.firstsaturday.ca/next-open-studios

New Work - City Centre Motor Hotel Sign

The above photos was taken as inspiration for my latest cross-stitch project of the City Centre Motor Hotel sign. ⁠The motel has been temporarily converted into artist studios until the building is demolished by developers. It's been home to my art studio and where I've been spending the majority of my time for the past year. ⁠I can't wait to build more memories and projects in this wonderful space and growing artist community!

City Centre Motor Hotel Sign,⁠ 2023,⁠ 7.5 x 5 inches⁠, embroidery, Aida cloth⁠, 28 hours of labour

Save the date - Eastside Flea Market, Mar 11 & 12, 11-5pm

Last but not least, the Eastside Flea Spring Market is back every weekend in March and I’ll be a first time vendor on the second weekend! Come see visit my booth on March 11 or 12 between 11-5pm. I’ll be selling prints, stickers, pins, and small cross-stitch works, something for every budget!

The Eastside Flea

The Eastside Flea is a seasonal community event taking place at Eastside Studios, 550 Malkin Ave. Each market hosts over 50 local vendors selling a diverse selection of goods from independently handmade pieces to vintage clothing, collectibles, plants, artisan eats & more!
You’ll also find 2-3 rotating food trucks parked outside, an amazing playlist, lots of seating and yummy beverages to enjoy!.

We hope to see you at the Flea soon!

Year in Review - 2022

Before moving forward to 2023, I’d like to review and recap some of the highlights from the past year:

1. Moved into my first art studio at the City Centre Artist Lodge!

2. Received my second grant from Canada Council for the Arts and completed my “Becoming a Pixel” self-portrait series.

3. Turned 30 & paid off my student loan debt!

4. Had over 1000 visitors come through my studio during Vancouver Mural Fest, Holiday Art Market & First Saturdays. This exposure directly helped increase my art sales by reaching new & future art collectors!

5. Completed my largest cross-stitch project to-date, “Glitch Streak” which took 182 hours of labour total.

6. Presented my largest solo exhibition, “Back to the Future: Digital Art Through Embroidery”, at the Sunshine Coast Arts Council where I gave an artist talk, and participated in the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl.

7. Completed my project “Vancouver Cityscape”, which was my first time creating a mixed textile quilt combining machine sewing, cross-stitch, crochet, and free-hand embroidery.

8. Grew my Social media following. I posted on social media consistently 5-7 days a week for most of the year. By posting more behind the scenes photos and reels I was able to better share my art process. This directly influenced the growth of my Instagram following by almost 50%. I ended 2021 with under 500 followers and wrapped up 2022 with a little over 900 followers.

9. Completed 788 hours of labour on projects for 2022.

Wow, what a year, I still can’t believe some of these milestones from 2022.

Let’s see what 2023 has in store!

December 2022 - Update

  • Xmas Art Market @ City Centre Artist Lodge (Dec. 3 + 4)

  • Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

Xmas Art Market @ City Centre Artist Lodge (Dec. 3 + 4)

❄️ It's a Winter Wonderland in Vancouver! ❄️

What better way to get into the holiday spirit than to check out the Holiday art market my studio this weekend?

🎄 Support local artists & businesses this holiday season and make someone do a happy holiday jig for joy 💃.

😋 Eat some food truck goodies, have a drink & stick around for the live music festival presented by Ice Cream Truck Live⁠ 🎶!

CONNECT X-Mas Market & Music Festival: Love is the Warmest Colour.⁠ ⁠

⁠When: Dec 3 & 4, 11am-7pm⁠

⁠What: This two-day community festival will combine an open studio art sale with live music and food trucks for a unique, immersive, celebration of Vancouver’s creative spirit.⁠

Where: City Centre Artist Lodge (2111 Main street - Main & 6th)⁠

⁠⁠I'm in studio# 211 ⁠
Upstairs under the big #1⁠
Entrance on the Main Street side.⁠

View event info & full list of artists.

Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

I’ve been busy working on getting this mixed textile project completed by the end of the year. With that said I still have lots to do before I’m done, so I’ll be keeping this blog update short and sweet. Here are some photos of the most recent progress.

September 2022 - Update

  • Glitch Streak

  • Becoming a Pixel

  • Books Open for 2023 Cross-Stitch Portrait Commissions

  • First Saturday - Open Studio: Saturday, Sept. 3, 12-5pm

Glitch Streak

I spent most of the summer working on this project, which is my largest cross-stitch piece to date. In total it took about 3.5 months and 182 hours of labour to complete! ⁠ ⁠Soon I'll be taking this in to a shop to get stretched and custom framed. This piece will be on display at my solo exhibition at Sunshine Coast Arts Council from Oct. 14 - Nov. 13.⁠

⁠ I'd love to continue to work on larger scale cross-stitch pieces, but it requires a lot of planning and prioritizing. I usually have so many ideas on the go or in my sketchbook that go unfinished or untouched just because I simply don't have enough time in the day. ⁠

I'll be working on smaller cross-stitch projects for the rest of the year, while my main focus will be working on my large mixed textile piece. You may have seen me low key working on this during the summer, it's another work I'm making for a solo exhibition in Michigan in February 2023. ⁠ ⁠

That’s a wrap on the Becoming a Pixel series! A huge shout out to Canada Council for the Arts I can’t thank them enough for their support with this project. I’m hoping to have the series framed soon and have plans to propose these for future exhibitions.

Books Open for 2023 Cross-Stitch Portrait Commissions

Over the past couple months many people have expressed interest in customized cross-stitch portraits and I’m happy to share that I’m opening my books for 2023. I know that may seem far away, but the reality is I need to start planning that far ahead so that I can schedule around my other projects, deadlines and exhibitions for next year. Spots will be limited, so book now!

Standard Size - 7”x7”

Small Size - 3.5”x3.5”

These are the two Portrait options I’m offering:

  1. Standard Size - $1200 ($500 deposit required to confirm booking)

    7”x7” cross-stitch

    16"x16” framed

    Fill out Google form/contract below to book commissions from May-December 2023 https://forms.gle/qMWm2NoGqaX8ggu56

    *Standard Size portraits are the same size the Becoming a Pixel series and provide the most detail/likeness to the individual*

  2. Small Size - $350 ($200 deposit required to confirm booking)

    3.5”x3.5” cross-stitch

    12”x12” framed

    Fill out Google form/contract below to book commissions from January-December 2023

    https://forms.gle/dEWSa1B2UmkLE2137

    *Small Size portraits have less detail/likeness to the individual and have a more pixelated aesthetic*

First Saturday - Open Studio: Saturday, Sept. 3, 12-5pm

City Centre Artist Lodge is participating in its first open studio weekend for First Saturday, September 3, 12-5pm.

First Saturday is an ongoing public monthly artist-run open studio event.

Visit firstsaturday.ca for full list of participating Vancouver/North Vancouver artist studios.

City Centre map of studios open for First Saturday, September 3, 2023.

August 2022 - Update

  • VMF - Open Studios @ City Centre Motel

  • Grant Project Update - Becoming Pixel (Portrait 4/5)

  • Glitch Streak (Work in Progress)

  • Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

VMF - Open Studios @ City Centre Motel

Come visit me at my studio (Room #211) this Saturday, August 6 & 13th during VMF at City Centre Motel (2111 Main Street)! I’ll have works in progress and finished works for sale (I’m now equipped to take “tap” payments). Stay tuned later this week for an exclusive offer!

VANCOUVER MURAL FESTIVAL

Vancouver Mural Festival returns August 4-14 with a spectacular 11-day celebration featuring daily block parties, 30+ new murals in 8 neighbourhoods, mural tours, talks and much more!

vanmuralfest.ca / @vanmuralfest

Grant Project Update - Becoming Pixel (Portrait 4/5)

I’m happy to share that I finished Portrait #4 from the Becoming a Pixel series last month! This is the least detailed portrait of the series so far and only uses two colours of thread. The portrait has become very minimal, without any clear indicators of my self-image, it's as if I'm being consumed by digital technology...⁠

 
 

Glitch Streak (Work in Progress)

Glitch Streak (WIP detail) , 2022, embroidery, Aida cloth

I hit a bit of a road block with this project last month when I started to run out of embroidery thread. I’ve been trying to find specific colours locally for months and finally had to bite the bullet and order the thread online. This meant over the past couple weeks I had been skipping rows where I didn’t have the colour I needed, which left lots of gaps in my WIP.

Glitch Streak (WIP detail), 2022, embroidery, Aida cloth

Good news is that my order finally arrived and I started working back to fill in the gaps where I was missing thread. I’m making very good progress overall and hope to finish this project in just a couple of more weeks. That means if you plan to stop by for a visit during VMF, you’re very likely going to see the work in its final stages. Trust me you want to see this work in person, the photos just don’t do it justice!

Glitch Streak (WIP), 2022, embroidery, Aida cloth

Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

My focus for August will be wrapping up the Becoming a Pixel series and the Glitch Streak project. But once those two projects are finished, I’ll be focusing most of my efforts on this one for this remainder of the year. With that said, I did make some slow progress on this work in the past couple weeks. Using my sewing machine, I sewed the finished cross-stitched "building strips" onto the main piece of fabric.⁠ I still have lots to do on this project, but I’m excited to see where the process is going to take me next!

July 2022 - Update

  • City Centre Opening Weekend - Recap

  • Grant Project Update - Becoming Pixel (Portrait 3/5)

  • Glitch Streak (Work in Progress)

  • Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

City Centre Opening Weekend - Recap

Studio selfie from day 1 of the open studios at City Centre.

A little corner of the studio, showcasing framed works.

Congrats to Harvey + Miu who were the lucky winners of my weekend giveaway of an original framed artwork: Glitch Series 02 - Crop_2.jpg.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to the City Centre Open Studios last weekend! It was a whirlwind to see so many people out in public, enjoying the beautiful weather, and engaging with the art community in such a positive way. There was pretty much steady traffic passing through my studio all weekend long and I’m so happy that I was able to share both finished works, as well as works in progress with so many new people!

I spent several days prior to the event prepping the studio by hanging more works and rearranging some of the furniture to help showcase as much as I could. I made some sales and by far the best sellers of the weekend were my pins. The 1.5" Glitch pin was the most popular and lots of people were surprised that I had square pins! In case anyone is wondering, I get all my pins made locally at Six Cent Press, right here in Vancouver.

This week I updated my website shop, so if there's anything from the weekend that you missed or changed your mind about you can find it there! Feel free to reach out and arrange a private studio visit if you want to see works in person again or for the first time. If you are local I have the option to pick up from the studio so that you don't need to pay for shipping!

Grant Project Update - Becoming Pixel (Portrait 3/5)

Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 3/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches, 31.25 hours of labour

Last month I finished the third portrait from the Becoming a Pixel series. It’s the least detailed portrait of the three and at this point it’s becoming much harder to identify the image as a self-portrait. The first portrait from the series started with five shades of grey and this portrait is simplified down to only three colours of embroidery thread. The next portrait will be two colours and the final portrait will only be one. I can’t wait to share more progress as this series continues to unravel!

 
 

Glitch Streak (Work in Progress)

Glitch Streak (WIP), 2022, embroidery, Aida cloth

During the open studio event last weekend I was live stitching on this beauty! I felt a little bit like a broken record letting people know that “I’m just over half-way done this piece and I’m about 100 hours in”. My favourite part was seeing people react to how much time I’d spent working on this piece and them realizing that I’m not even done yet!

Glitch Streak (WIP detail), 2022, embroidery, Aida cloth

Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

I’ve been low key working on some cross-stitched “building” strips that will be added to the Vancouver Cityscape, mixed textile piece that I’ve also been slowly working on in the background (amongst my other higher priority projects). Here are some photos of the process, I hope to be done these in the next week or so!

June 2022 - Update

  • Grant Project Update - Becoming a Pixel (Portrait 2/5)

  • Glitch Streak (Work in Progress)

  • Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

Grant Project Update - Becoming a Pixel (Portrait 2/5)

Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 2/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches, 35 hours of labour

I’m excited to share the completed second portrait from my self-portrait series Becoming a Pixel. This portrait still has some likeness to my self-image, but there is clearly some loss of definition. Without seeing the first portrait from the series it is now harder to identify this as a self-portrait. I intentionally reduced the overall resolution and total pixels in the cross-stitch pattern. By producing in an image with less detail, I’ve made identification of the person in the portrait less certain.

(Detail) Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 2/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches

Looking at a small section of the finished piece (as shown below) it is very difficult to recognize the image as a portrait on its own.

(Detail) Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 2/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches

 
 

Mallory Donen acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Glitch Streak (Work in Progress)

Mallory Donen with her work in progress Glitch Streak. Photo was taken in her studio in Vancouver, BC, 2022.

I’ve also been making consistent progress on this new large-scale cross-stitch piece, Glitch Streak. I’m currently 1/3 of the way complete and it’s about 10 inches wide. When the work is finished I expect it to measure 30 inches wide. I’ve already logged in about 65 hours of labour on this project! Needless to say the further I get on this piece, the more taxing and strenuous it is getting on my body. This is precisely why I’m pacing myself slowly on this project and spending time on others that are less laborious than this one!

Vancouver Cityscape (Work in Progress)

Vancouver Cityscape (Work in progress), 2022, mixed textiles, canvas, linen, cotton, yarn, thread⁠

Somehow I managed to carve out time to work on this mixed textiles project in May. It’s been very explorative and playful seeing where this piece takes me. I’ve never attempted something quite like it before. The best way to describe it is probably a hybrid between quilting, embroidery, and textile collage. I’m using a combination of machine and hand sewing, as well as cross-stitching and free-hand embroidery. I’ll also be using yarn to add more texture and dimension. Overall, it’s definitely still a work in progress, but I’m very excited to see where this process takes me!

Becoming a Pixel

Last month I finished the first portrait from my series Becoming a Pixel so I thought it was time to share a little more about the project:

Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 1/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches, 36 hours of labour

My multidisciplinary practice explores the intersection of digital art and embroidery, through processes rooted in traditional craft. I’m interested in the dichotomy between fast-paced digital technologies and the time-consuming practices of cross-stitching, knitting, and other needlework. Through my laborious approach to making art, I mirror society’s obsession with technology and its ability to both connect and disconnect. My project Becoming a Pixel will be a series of cross-stitched self-portraits that visually demonstrate how digital technologies are impacting the way we view ourselves and engage in the world.

(Detail) Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 1/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the world to evolve and adapt more towards digitization. The most convenient way to stay connected has been through our computers and devices. On the one hand, technology has been the glue that has held us together and it is how we have been able to express our frustrations, triumphs, and hardships through this new “normal”. Digital spaces are where we now spend most of our time. This means that our existence is almost always mediated through a screen or some form of digital technology.

On the other hand, the loss of physical connection has also caused us to feel more disconnected from each other. It can be hard to feel connected to others and have meaningful interactions through digital spaces. But it can also be challenging to stay truly connected to yourself. While using technology we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements and content that often become difficult to ignore. Algorithms curate most digital content, which means we have very little control over what we are being exposed to daily. With this loss of power, we begin to lose our sense of self, and our individuality can get lost in the void of virtual space.

Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 1/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches, 36 hours of labour


The Becoming a Pixel series will emphasize the loss of self through virtual space, each of the five cross-stitched self-portraits will become progressively more pixelated from the previous one. The same black and white self-portrait will be used to create the cross-stitch pattern for each piece in the series. Now that the first pattern has been cross-stitched, it has been scanned and converted into a new cross-stitch pattern (which will be used for the second portrait). For each new pattern the number of pixels are reduced by fifty percent, but the number of cross-stitches in the patterns remain consistent. This will result in portraits that become increasingly devoid of detail, and increasingly devoid of my own identity. The final portrait will appear as a solid square (pixel), symbolizing loss of human identity through digital technology. 

(Detail) Becoming a Pixel - Portrait 1/5, 2022, embroidery floss, Aida cloth⁠, 7 x 7 inches