Acrylic paint, acrylic ink, India ink, graphite, gold leaf and/or encaustic, with silk screen ink on wood panel.
18” x 18”
2024
A bit to unpack with this one……the women - who are they? Where did the come from? Why are they each so similar, yet uniquely different? I’m still trying to answer these questions myself……Lately I’ve become aware of AI imagery - that is, imagery generated by artificial intelligence. Computer? Algorithm? I have no idea. But it’s not created by a human being and therefore many people have been rumbling about the use of AI in artwork. It is generally dismissed as without merit and even fraudulent. So I became compelled by the challenge of making substantive artwork that is made in large part with AI imagery. And this is my first attempt at doing so…..Each of the women were made (generated? rendered? summoned?) one at a time. I spent hours making hundreds of them then selected these 15 for this piece. There is a familiarity, yet a curiosity in them. The classic outfits are all similar, yet meticulously different in their details and with a bit of flair and whimsey. As with their hats and belts. And probably the most fascinating aspect to me is their faces. So real, so different each, and each so absorbing. And yet none of these women ever existed…..Or did they? AI makes these images pulling from the zillions of online images combined with key words. But when you see them juxtaposed with paint and ink on canvas, it’s easy to allow your mind to drift and ponder: who are these women and where did they come from? What’s with the poses, modern buildings, and foliage? Were they pulled from some long gone cosmos, like that of a @lordhuron song? Are they stepping out of the past or giving a glimpse of the future?
