The Alchemy Immersive
Collection
The Alchemy Immersive Collection is a groundbreaking series of multi-sensory art installations by contemporary artist Donna Isham, created in collaboration with award-winning musician Mark Isham, who provides original scores. The works combine large-scale paintings with cutting-edge projection-mapped animation and original soundscapes, integrating analog and digital methodologies across visual art, motion, and sound.
These installations explore themes of identity, connection, and the blurred boundary between illusion and reality. Through their collaboration, Donna Isham’s use of traditional and contemporary painting techniques on canvas and Mark Isham’s blending of classical musicality with electronic synthesizers—combined with digital projection-mapped animation—create transformative environments that bridge past, present, and future. The result is an experiential journey that transcends traditional artistic forms to engage and inspire, forging a link to a new and evocative art form.
Each installation includes an unique painting, an original musical score, and custom made animation, presented with a short-throw projector and a dedicated computer containing the digital assets. The system can be integrated with any sound system, allowing the work to be exhibited across a range of architectural and institutional contexts.
Seen
Acrylic, oil stick, graphite, charcoal on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 80” x 106” , 2025
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In Seen, the figure stands in quiet dialogue with luminous layers of graphite, oil, and color—both grounded and ethereal, revealing presence rather than concealment. The surface hums with energy, where gesture becomes breath and translucence becomes tension. “Seen is about the courage to exist without concealment,” Donna Isham says. “It’s the moment when internal truth takes visible form.” Mark Isham’s rich, sensory score enhances the emotional journey, seamlessly integrating traditional instruments with vintage and modern synthesizers. The result is a soundscape that mirrors the unpredictable rhythm of life and deepens the immersive experience.
Through this fusion of fine art, technology, and music, Seen transforms the art-viewing experience, encouraging self-reflection on life’s delicate balance between chaos and control.
Crimson³
Acrylic, graphite and charcoal on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 75” x 78”, 2025
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Donna Isham’s acclaimed painting Crimson³ transforms color, light, and sound to converge across the canvas. Projection-mapped animation extends the painting’s gestural mark-making and vibrant hues into motion, while Mark Isham’s original score generates resonant harmonics that deepen its pulse—the work itself seems to breathe, creating a dialogue between the physical and the ephemeral. The installation invites viewers to step inside the painting’s emotional resonance, where the tangible gives way to transcendence. The installation embraces the elements- earth, water, fire, and air.
In merging the traditional and the technological, Crimson³ reimagines what a painting can be: not a fixed image, but a living encounter between art and perception. Through this fusion of fine art, technology, and music, Crimson³ transforms the art-viewing experience, encouraging self-reflection on life’s delicate balance between chaos and control.
Le Cirque
Acrylic, charcoal, oil stick on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 60" x 140" , 2024
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Le Cirque is an immersive fusion of dynamic artistry, projection-mapped animation, and an original musical score. It harnesses the circus as a metaphor for life’s inherent unpredictability—beauty and grit, thrill and danger—revealing the delicate balance between control and chaos. In vivid, discordant hues, Donna Isham merges figuration and abstraction, layering angular black lines, abstract shapes, and circular motifs to explore identity, deconstruction, and the fluid nature of self-discovery.
Mark Isham’s evocative score deepens the emotional resonance, blending acoustic pianos, bass, flutes, and a mix of vintage and modern synthesizers. This rich soundscape envelops viewers in a transformative journey where tension and beauty coexist, mirroring the unpredictable rhythms of human experience. Le Cirque ultimately invites audiences to embrace the perpetual dance between order and chaos—a reflection of life’s continual balancing act.
Glass Between Us
Acrylic, oil stick, charcoal on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 84" x 64" , 2024
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Glass Between Us embraces the distance that people create knowingly and unknowingly in finding human connection, love, and admiration. Echoing that spirit, this piece mirrors the human journey: a nuanced dance of control and chaos, vulnerability and strength.
Glass Between Us delves into these themes of connection and disconnection, using bold compositions and light and sound to explore the tensions between individuals. Initially begun in Aspen at Anderson Ranch Art Center, Donna created layers of color and line work amidst the female form, obscuring and revealing each along the way. She further emphasized the sense of distance and belonging with bold lines dissecting the composition and masses of large color areas. But it is her use of fine mark making that really draws you into the work. Similarly, Mark scored the painting to evoke that sense of longing by coupling ambient synthesizers with melodic instruments creating a sense of harmony and rhythm between the different elements. This was then animated to further enhance the fluidity of life and relationships. The colors are mesmerizing and intoxicating.
Rooted in Heaven
Acrylic on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 60x48” , 2023
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Rooted In Heaven is a striking black-and-white acrylic painting on canvas. This monochromatic piece explores the ethereal connection between the earthly and the divine, emphasizing themes of grounding and transcendence. Through the interplay of light and shadow, Isham creates a dynamic sense of movement, evoking a serene yet powerful presence. The absence of color draws focus to the intricate contrasts, textures, and forms, inviting viewers to reflect on the interplay of permanence and spirituality. A testament to Isham’s mastery of abstraction, the work leaves space for interpretation while radiating an undeniable emotional resonance. It is accompanied by a soundscape by Mark Isham that emphasizes the emotional journey of its transcendent connections. The animation is equally sparse and it emanates in pulses in the painting.
Alchemy
Acrylic, oil, spray paint, graphite, pen on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 68" x 118", 2023
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Alchemy is rooted in the transformative mystique of ancient Chinese alchemy, this multi-sensory work combines acrylic, ink, graphite, oil, and crayon on canvas to create a visually arresting experience. Vivid reds, luminous golds, shimmering silvers, and deep cosmic blues converge to evoke magic, transformation, and humanity’s eternal quest for enlightenment. By harnessing both paint and sound, the piece offers a reflective journey that invites viewers to contemplate beauty, wonder, and spiritual evolution.
Drawing upon the alchemical dream of transmuting base materials into gold, Isham integrates symbolic hues and layered textures that echo the aspirations of ancient practitioners. Bold applications of cinnabar, gold, mercury silver, and sulfur establish a timeless aura, while the work’s layered surfaces suggest hidden realms of possibility and dreams. This striking composition immerses audiences in a realm where the pursuit of transformation unfolds before their eyes, positioning Alchemy as both a testament to artistic innovation and a catalyst for deeper exploration of the human spirit.
Alchemy combines traditional art with digital and sonic elements to enhance the viewer’s experience. Through innovative projection-mapped animation and interactive simulations, the painted strokes are brought to life, creating dynamic visual rhythms. Mark Isham’s accompanying soundscape weaves a musical narrative that complements the visuals, enriching the installation with layers of emotion and depth. Together, these elements create a seamless journey of creation and transformation, capturing the essence of alchemy itself.
Carousel
Acrylic, ink, graphite on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 61" x 71 1/2", 2023
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Carousel is a vibrant and evocative work that reflects childhood memories of park visits and carousel rides. The dynamic color palette of creamy yellows, muted blues, crimson, and pinks captures the carefree, spinning motion of these rides, evoking the ecstatic thrill children experience. By combining acrylic, graphite, oil stick, and ink, Isham creates a textured, multi-layered surface that invites viewers to immerse themselves in her nostalgic recollections and the universal joy of carousel experiences.
Isham likens life to a carousel, a continuous motion of highs and lows—victories and losses. This concept, inspired by her own childhood and later revisited through the eyes of her children, anchors the emotional foundation of the work. The painting reflects this cyclical nature, with each spin symbolizing the dynamic flow of life, where memories and emotions constantly evolve and shift.
In Carousel, Isham layers colors over graphite sketches of loved ones, abstracting each figure to emphasize the depth of the emotional connection. The painting mirrors life’s journey, where experiences, relationships, and perceptions are constantly reshaped by movement and light. It celebrates the beauty of life’s rhythm—its playfulness, challenges, and capacity for creation—capturing the essence of what makes living meaningful.
We’re All Watching
Acrylic, graphite, oil stick, paper, and ink on canvas, Original Animation and Score, 72" x 127", 2022
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We’re All Watching examine themes of surveillance, privacy, and voyeurism. Field recordings from cities like Paris, New York, and Aspen intermingle with Mark Isham’s original compositions, creating a layered sonic backdrop. Projected film burns and scratches add texture and depth, symbolizing the fragility of human life in a mechanized culture and inviting viewers to contemplate the intersection of observation and reality.
Isham’s distinctive figurative style appears in vibrant, textured paintings and painted mannequins, where bold color and sinuous lines evoke the tension between individuality and societal demands. Eyes serve as windows to the soul, with each female subject embodying spiritual and physical healing. Through these works, Isham celebrates feminine energy and urges a reimagining of a world where personal identity is cherished. Her immersive approach—gestural brushstrokes paired with an ambient, mechanical-infused soundscape—proposes a transformative experience, compelling audiences to reflect on both the fragility and resilience of humanity in a digitally driven world.
In the Darkness I Could Hear
Your Voice
Acrylic, oil, cold wax, and crayon canvas, Original Animation and Score, 72" x 115", 2021
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In The Darkness I Could Hear Your Voice marks their first venture into an immersive art installation. Drawing on their shared passion for kinetic installation art and the convergence of fine art and sound, this piece merges Donna’s abstract expressionism with Mark’s ambient electronic compositions, creating an evolving sensory environment that blurs the line between still imagery and moving pictures. Audiences are invited to experience fluid time—where moments stand still or accelerate—depending on each viewer’s perspective.
Anchored by Donna’s layered oil, acrylic, and R&F oil stick paintings, the installation gains depth through Mark’s use of vintage synthesizers like the ARP 2600, Mog modular, and Prophet 5, among others. The resulting ambient soundscapes cultivate a charged atmosphere in which color, texture, and sonic resonance unfold in real time. Isham’s motif of continuous motion reveals “the whispered narratives that exist in the darkness,” inviting observers to witness shapes and lines deteriorate and regenerate—a dynamic process Donna refers to as “Samsara.” Through this interplay of art and music, the work fosters a profound sense of wonder, inspiring viewers to explore the boundless possibilities of transformation.
Donna Isham, a Los Angeles-based contemporary artist, explores the strength and beauty of women in her figurative paintings and the emotive vibrancy of life through her expressive abstract paintings. A self-taught painter with a background in film and psychology from UC Berkeley, Isham transitioned from a Hollywood stylist to a contemporary artist, drawing inspiration from her travels and the observations of the human condition. Her work, known for its vibrant use of color and texture, seeks to connect with viewers on an emotional level. Isham's art appears in numerous global publications and her work is showcased in both private and corporate collections. She has exhibited in New York, Miami, Paris, Aspen, and Vienna, exploring her dedication to beauty, diversity, and the transformative power of art.
Mark Isham is an award-winning composer, jazz trumpeter, and recording artist. He is acclaimed for his significant contributions to film and television with his innovative musical scores. Known for his ability to blend unforgettable melodies with experimental sounds, Isham's work spans a variety of genres, earning him Grammy and Emmy awards, alongside Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. His compositions for films like "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Crash," and "A River Runs Through It" highlight his versatile talent. Collaborating with industry legends, Isham's scores have enhanced narratives for directors and artists worldwide. His recent projects include scoring for Hulu’s "The Godfather of Harlem."
