Dawson Visual Arts student Rowan Michael Draper has been selected for a prestigious residency for young digital artists at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Starting March 6, Rowan will be spending between two to four hours a week at the museum with access to a studio and the museum’s technological equipment. The residency is until June.

“During this period, I will be working on a video art project focusing on the exploration of repetition and patterns with personalized guidance from a mentor,” Rowan said in an interview with Dawson’s Communications Office. “I am looking forward to meeting them and experiencing what it’s like to work with a museum mediator. Balancing this project and my class assignments will be difficult but I am more than ready to work hard to succeed in both.”

Depth and creativity

The Fine Arts Department of Dawson congratulates Rowan. “I taught Rowan last year,” said Amanda Beattie, Assistant Chair of the Fine Arts Department and Assistant Coordinator of the Visual Arts Program. “He was a quiet student – always present, but not particularly vocal in class. When he handed in his first written work, I was blown away.  It was so well-written, so thoughtful, and he expressed himself beautifully. His work was truly outstanding. I know that some of his other teachers felt the same when he handed in his artwork. He’s very modest and quiet, and then his artwork and written work divulge so much depth and creativity. We’re all extremely proud of him!”

“Rowan’s work in our Video and New Media class was exceptional,” said David Baumflek (Faculty, Fine Arts). “His willingness to experiment with form and technique was evident from the beginning of the semester. Beyond this, he did what we hope for all our students: he took the skills he was learning and the resources available to him and used these to create unique artworks exploring his own thoughts and lived experiences in all their complexity.”

Rowan is “extremely excited and grateful” for the opportunity. He is hoping to refine his ideas and creative process. “Guidance from professional artists is something I value greatly, as I am often overwhelmed with the amount of ideas I want to pursue artistically. I am further hoping to expand my contacts within the artistic world,” he said.

Raw emotions and influences

Rowan shared about his process and influences: “As an artist, my goal is to fulfill my creative desires and to understand myself. My process is usually completely intuitive; I rarely work with preconceived ideas. Thematically, I tend to focus on anger and raw emotions, which usually manifest as grotesque creatures through drawing and painting. I also explore this theme using video, in the form of sharp, abstract and fast-paced visuals.

“I try not to stick with one medium and move around as much as I can. Regardless of the medium, I enjoy creating contrast between a theme and its aesthetic: depicting negative emotions with bright and vivid colours. Visually, I am inspired by contemporary artists such as Antwan Horfee, Gary Panter and Stach Szumski, but most importantly, other young artists in the Montréal art scene.”

What’s next

At Dawson, the second-year student has gained confidence, grown in dedication and tried a variety of mediums. “Creating with deadlines and restrictions has definitely given me a more focused perspective,” Rowan said of his experience at Dawson. “Now more than ever, I know what direction I want to go in artistically, I am not simply creating for fun. I am also working to create a consistent body of work, a mentality I will surely be taking with me to university. I am grateful to the Fine Arts Department and all my teachers for providing me with the opportunity to study here.”

Rowan hopes to begin the Studio Arts Program at Concordia University. “After I have finished my studies, my goal is to work as an independent mixed media artist. I want to continue creating works using a variety of mediums and, hopefully, be able to support myself financially this way, by showing and selling my work.”