Damaris Athene: Could you start off by giving an introduction to yourself and your background?

Vickie Vainionpää: I was born in Toronto, Canada and I now live and work in Montreal. I've always been painting and drawing my whole life, and my focus on art intensified when I went to school. Taking oil painting classes in university is what first got me hooked on the medium. It is a medium that is rich with history, but it’s challenging. Mixing paint, using various types of oil, solvent, how to lay glazes... still to this day I feel like I haven’t discovered all the intricacies of the medium, but that’s exciting to me. You can use it in so many different ways, and each painter approaches it a bit differently. Oil paint never stops surprising me. It has this gorgeous shine and luminescence that is immediately captivating. It’s buttery and smooth, and the gradations you can achieve are unmatched, something that always frustrates me when photographing my work!

DA: Yes, there’s nothing quite like oil paint!

VV: Yeah! A few years later, 2016 or so, once I had graduated from my Bachelor’s, I was accepted to a couple residences. The first at Ragdale Foundation, Illinois, and next The Banff Center for Arts and Creativity in Alberta. During this period of time I was teaching myself how to code, designing websites for corporate clients, and really digging into digital art and 3D modelling. There were a few really influential painters who were beginning to use digital processes in their work, David Hockney and Amy Sillman, along with the whole ‘Post-Internet’ art movement, many of whose work I immediately connected with. I also remember going to see this show, The Forever Now at MoMA and instantly falling in love with the work of Kerstin Bratsch, Laura Owens, and so many others. This time period between school and my professional practice was really formative and that’s when I started forming the body of work that I am still working on today.

DA: How interesting to find out how your interest in digital art and 3D modelling began! Could you tell me more about your practice?

VV: My practice considers the impact of technology on the process of painting. My work starts digital, and ends as oil paintings on canvas. I use a plugin that randomly plots points in 3D space and connects them together in a B-spline (basically, it’s like the computer is creating individual strokes, or drawings, on its own). The results are curvy, fluid lines that are unique every time the script runs. I will go through and select interesting forms to light, texture, and create final compositions from, and finally paint by hand using oil on linen. The shapes that it generates are captivating to me, they have a lot of movement to them. In the same way that I can scribble on a piece of paper and see the trace of my hand on the surface, it’s as if we’re seeing the hand of the machine through the motion of these lines. They can curve, fold, and morph in ways reminiscent of limbs, intestines, or cellular organisms. I really like this connection between the human body and digital technology.

‘Soft Body Dynamics 35’ 2021, Oil on canvas42" x 64" Photo courtesy of Vickie Vainionpää — ‘Soft Body Dynamics 35’ 2021, Oil on canvas
42" x 64"
Photo courtesy of Vickie Vainionpää

DA: Wow that’s such an interesting way to work! Could you explain your process using the 3D modelling software you mentioned? How long have you been using it for?

VV: I started using 3D software around 2016. My process is one of trial and error. I go back and forth between the canvas and computer a lot. In the beginning, it takes me quite a while to settle on a composition I’d like to paint. That’s the toughest part. I have an archive of hundreds and hundreds of renders on my hard drive. On any given day, I might feel like experimenting in 3D, learning a new part of the program, or I might feel like digging through the archive of forms and trying to make something out of them. I think enjoy starting with 3D software because it’s the ultimate blank canvas -- there’s this virtual barren space with physical parameters that can be altered radically or subtly to produce different results every time. When I'm playing around in the computer, I am drawn to forms and textures that remind me of existing organic matter. Something that nature could dream up, but that remains alien. Once I have settled on an interesting composition, I’ll begin the physical painting process. I use oil on linen or cotton canvas. Recently, I have been trying to encourage more painterly interventions to happen at this stage. I’ll sometimes consciously create a texture that could be rendered by hand by pooling solvent, or something more chance-based. I think it’s important to maintain the quality of the painted surface, so I’m currently working that out in my approach. I use raw linen, which is also a conscious choice; it contrasts the very smooth gradations of light and shadow, which I feel lends to this balance of organic/inorganic. It also is my way to participate and acknowledge the rich history of oil on linen, and connect my work to the network of painters that came before me.

DA: How long do the paintings take to make? How do you achieve such a smooth seemingly digital surface?

VV: Each painting usually takes about a month to make, from start to finish. And, funnily enough, the digital part of my process often takes equally as long, if not longer, than the time I spend painting. I will usually work on two or three works at any given time. That’s helpful both in a technical sense, to coordinate drying times and layers, but also to stagger the rewarding feeling of finishing a piece. It keeps me motivated to always have a few pieces on the go.

DA: That surprises me that the digital part of the process takes nearly as long! I saw you’d made some sculptural work. What’s the process for making that and how does it tie into your paintings?

VV: Yes! In January of 2020 I started experimenting more with sculpture. For my exhibition ‘Parallel Wilderness’, I used the same forms in my paintings as I did for sculptural work. Since these forms start out 3-dimensional in their native digital environment, it was interesting to bring them into the physical world next. I really like how you can walk around the pieces and view it from all angles, as opposed to a static painting. My favourite sculpture from that show is a really large piece called ‘Wriggler (Pink/Blue)’. It was a huge undertaking to make, and I learned a lot! In terms of process and materials, the core is styrofoam, and it’s coated smooth with resin, sanded and finished by hand, then finally airbrushed. I provided the 3D model to my fabricator, who input that data into their cutting machine. So it’s a perfect 3D rendition of the digital model.

DA: Wow that sounds amazing! What initially drew you to investigating the relationship between natural forces and digital processes?

VV: Technology is, and always will be, extremely important to my work and it’s aims. The goal of my work has always been to demonstrate the harmony that comes by fusing natural and digital forces. I am a techno- optimist through and through — I believe that to move forward, as artists and also as humans, we must embrace emerging technologies rather than fear or dismiss them. I think that too much of the conversation surrounding technology right now is fear mongering. Too many people are afraid. But we are not living in a destructive, catastrophic time, just the opposite. We are living in an expansive time, full of excitement and possibilities. As technology evolves, we evolve along with it. It’s my hope that my work helps to facilitates a shift in thinking so that more people are able to become actively and boldly optimistic, instead of passively pessimistic. In a broader sense, about what drew me in, and without getting too esoteric... In technology I see a certain movement and direction towards some sort of ultimate interconnectivity. A flow and exchange of information between everything that touches it. I strongly believe that our technology is the catalyst for positive change, transformation, and maybe even some form of enlightenment.

DA: Is there any technology in particular that you feel does or will help to connect us?

VV: I mean, just look at Zoom right now during the pandemic. In lieu of huge parties or surface- level interactions, I think it’s really enabled us to connect more deeply with those closest to us. Even though I can’t wait to be physically with my family and friends again, I do feel like our connection has been strengthened throughout this whole thing.

DA: Yeah I’ve definitely noticed that too. Do you feel that the pandemic has shifted how we think about technology, for the better or worse?

VV: It definitely has. Especially now with the recent resurgence of digital art in the form of NFTs and the blockchain. The possibilities are really amazing. There have been some really great shows happening entirely online and in the metaverse. Slowly, people are starting to accept the digital is here to stay, and look at it as adjacent, as complimentary to IRL experiences, instead of threatening to them.

DA: How do you usually work and how has that been affected by the pandemic?

VV: To be honest with you, my work and process has not really been affected by the pandemic. I’m still going to the studio, still painting daily. If anything, I have been working much more and longer hours, since all the social activities have been totally wiped off the calendar. I’m finding time to focus and develop new concepts, and also to connect more with my artist friends online. It’s definitely been tough not to see friends and family in person, but that’s been more of a personal toll than an artistic one.

DA: That’s great that you’ve been able to paint more and develop new concepts. What would you like people to get from your work?

VV: A sense of hope, beauty, and optimism.

DA: Well I definitely get that! What’s the favourite piece you’ve made?

VV: It changes every day! I recently upgraded my renderer to Redshift and that has made an enormous difference in the quality of source material I use. So my favourite paintings are definitely the most recent ones, specifically, I think that Soft Body Dynamics 36 is my current fave.

DA: Oh yes I love that one. I love Soft Body Dynamics 36 too! How did you come up with the title for the Soft Body Dynamics series?

‘Soft Body Dynamics 36’ 2021, Oil on canvas40" x 64"Photo courtesy of Vickie Vainionpää — ‘Soft Body Dynamics 36’ 2021, Oil on canvas
40" x 64"
Photo courtesy of Vickie Vainionpää

VV: The name Soft Body Dynamics refers directly to the type of simulation I use. In computer graphics, soft bodies are basically any deformable object, as opposed to a rigid body which is stiff and inflexible. For example, a desk or a wooden chair would be a rigid body, but a balloon or a pillow would be a soft body. Their motions can be springy, bouncy, gooey, squishy etc. The interesting part about soft body simulation for me, is the ability to replicate the properties of organic materials, such as soft tissue, hair, or even microscopic level organisms. I like how the movement and interaction between these shapes relates directly to the dynamics of our internal biology.

DA: That’s so interesting! So you’ve mentioned some artists already but are there any other artists whose work has inspired you?

VV: There are so many and the list could be endless but here are some - Luis Hidalgo, Hilma Af Klint, Lesley Vance, Mike Lee, Matthew Stone, Emma Stern, Emily Mae Smith, Frank Stella, César PieHe, Alessandro Keegan, Igor Hosnedl, Vivian Greven, Eva Fabregas...

DA: An amazing list of artists and some new names for me to look up, thank you! What projects have you been working on recently?

VV: I am currently working on a duo show with the artist Bijijoo. There’s a really cool relationship between our works, we both start digital and have our own relationship to the body, so I’m really excited to see that come to life. It will be in New York at GR Gallery this June. I’m also heading to Palazzo Monti this fall where I’ll be working on a solo show for Nicola Pedana Gallery in Italy.

DA: Apart from those exhibitions, what plans do you have for future work?

VV: I hope to make some more sculpture in the near future, and I also have this idea for a generative chair design floating around in my head! Of course, I will continue to paint and push my 3D skills further. Super excited to see what the next year brings.

DA: I can’t wait to see what you make this year! Thanks so much Vickie. It’s been a pleasure!

VV: Thank you Damaris!