ABOUT

My work explores the aesthetic potential of computational systems both on the computer screen and in physical media. As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in our lives, I feel it is important to expose and reflect on these processes through artistic production. I am captivated by the immense potential computation offers for visual exploration, particularly in systems of spatial representation such as perspective and 3D rendering.

Recently my focus has been the building and programming of computer controlled drawing machines known as 'pen plotters'. Moving away from the LCD screen as the primary visual substrate of computation, I'm interested in the many alternative material possibilities that plotting opens for digitally generated art. I build and program my plotters myself, giving me greater control (usually 😅) of the systems I use to create my work.

Before engaging directly with digital computation, my work centered around an exploration of form that led me to use found images as compositions of large abstract paintings. I've been working with the motif of 'random' dots, originally taken from images of chewing gum stuck on sidewalks outside Halifax nightclubs, since my BFA grad show in 2012 at NSCAD University. For me, the dots are stand-ins for subject matter while the material aspects become the focus of the work. I've experimented with various ideas including colour, canvas structure, found composition, and most recently, stereoscopic projection. Pre-dating my interest in computation, this body of work represents my earliest experiments with systems-based artwork.

I am currently based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Treaty One Territory where I teach drawing, painting and creative coding at the University of Manitoba, and maintain an independent artistic practice with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. I was previously based in Vancouver, BC, and am originally from Halifax, NS. Please contact me at grunskm@gmail.com if you would like more information about my work.