"Free Form IV" Teal & Rose Cross-Stitch

8.5 x 3.1 x 2.5

Framed cotton embroidery

The Free Form Series was created with the intent to play and explore the techniques of cross-stitch in a similar way to abstract drawing or painting. Normally cross-stitch follows a specific pattern which is determined prior to starting a project. The only pre-planned factors in this series were the two complimentary colours that were selected for each piece. By utilizing various stitches and colour combinations the possibilities and potential outcomes become infinite.

Mallory Donen is a multidisciplinary artist residing in Vancouver on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh First Nations. Donen graduated in 2015 from the University of the Fraser Valley with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in photography, painting, drawing, and print media. The following year, she moved to Winnipeg for two years where she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from University of Manitoba in 2017.

Donen’s thesis "I Come From a Long Line of Machines" inspired a shift in her practice towards processes rooted in traditional craft passed down from generations of women in her family. Her art explores the intersection of digital art and embroidery. By using the distinct grid format of cross-stitching she creates connections between threads and pixels.

In 2019, she was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center. From 2021-2022 Donen has been a recipient of Canada Council for the Arts, Research and Creation Grants for her art book project "Invisible Labour: Cross-Stitching, Feminism, & the Collective Strength of Women" and her cross-stitch portrait series "Becoming a Pixel."