No AI in My Artwork

Art is the highest form of hope ~ Gerhard Richter 

Hope is a weapon ~ Martin Luther King Jr.          

There are a lot of opinions and conversations about Artificial Intelligence in the art world and beyond. I want to share my thoughts. AI is here to stay and for better or worse, it is unavoidable. Does AI have a place in the arts? Maybe, but not in my work. AI can generate beautiful works by formula, but lacks the feel, touch and heART that only an artist's hand contains.  That I have my hands all over my work matters to me. It means I am sharing a part of myself with my audience. 

My biggest issue with AI in the arts is that it is soulless. It has no heART. These are the reasons I create. My soul demands to be expressed in the physical world. Whether I am cutting paper for my cards, making birds, painting, jotting down a haiku or sewing fabrics I care deeply about how my hands relate to my material. My heart expands when I am working.

I created the paper hare and the first of the cards over 30 years ago. I am still delighted when I find the ‘right paper’ or ‘add-on’ so they are complete and represent work I am proud of.  I use simple materials, paper, fabric, paint and found objects. With each creation there 10,000 decisions (maybe not an exaggeration) to be made about color, spacing, matching or mixing, enough or more.  All of these decisions are part of what brings life and personal connection to my work. When you wear one of my garments, address a card or just enjoy looking at a sculpture.  I want you to know I work with intentional care. I have not gone to some unfeeling robotic source to participate with my art or crafts. I still use scissors to cut the paper forms for the cards. I like touching the paper and the details I add to each design. I don’t mind when my hands get messy and sore.  

As the art world grapples with automation for its instant (im)perfectly generated visuals, faster and more convenient productions the artist's voice is lost and the work loses its heART beat… its connection to one's soul. When the thing of beauty had been calculated by a formula people tend to value the work differently and extend this disregard to include all works of arts and crafts. When we have to count fingers and seek signs to verify the validity of the work we might be looking at work more closely, but for the wrong reasons. When I am drawn to a creation and find it is AI generated I feel ripped off. The object is fake,  a falsehood and a trick meant to fool the viewer.

I believe people are seeking real connections with community and humanity. Perfection is not the goal for us. Right now we need to remember our human flaws, snorting laughter and heARTfelt stories. AI has no finger prints, no smells, nothing genuine to relate us to the story that impacts and inspires artists. There is no spirit in work that does not connect to an artist’s hand. 

A machine may be programmed to draw an image or write a poem, but it will never feel. Never experience what it is like to create a picture or perceive the emotions behind a poem. Never understand why art makes us weep or laugh. I am suggesting it is the heARTbeat, the human stories, love of the craft and personal emotions that give a work of art its value and human connection and that is what people have been looking for all along. 

~ Art Matters ~ Community Matters ~  

Contemporary art? What’s that?

I was describing Stephanie LaFortune’s artwork as contemporary my friend said what’s that? I had to think for a minute about what I really did mean and I was wrong. I was thinking contemporary art tended toward abstract art. Contemporary art is art that in being made now by living artists. Hmm…that makes all the artists I work with contemporary artist and me, too!

Abstract art is described as a movement in painting and sculpture that seeks to break away from traditional representation of physical objects. Abstract works explore the relationships of forms and colors as opposed to traditional art where the images are recognizable.

I think abstract artworks can be difficult for people to relate to because we humans are always looking for connections and similarities. It makes it difficult to find something to relate to in abstract work. I feel like abstract art is more about raw unfettered emotional relationship to the artist’s world.

I think the viewer must see the artwork in person before we can truly judge any piece of art. We all react to the colors and texture of any abstract, but I think it takes time to find the place where you and the artwork can come together. It’s easy to see a portrait and say, “that’s a face…I like it,” then move on. It takes time to look at a face, to study it and see what you can of the person and the artists. When you see work in person you can see the brush stroke or explore where one color begins and another ends. I think it’s impossible to really know about a piece of art without this personal contact.

Does it help if I tell you “good art” is like wine…it really doesn’t matter what someone else’s opinion is …it’s about what you think after you’ve had a taste. There are many artists whose work I deeply enjoy, some that inspire me, but that doesn’t mean I love everything they make. The only way to know this is to taste it…take it in look at it and see how it feels.

There are many contemporary artists in Siskiyou County. The Siskiyou Arts Councils Artists Registry Pages are a good place to get a sampling of artists. Then get out to see both abstract and realism paintings and sculptures. I encourage you to take the time to view the art by spending a little more time looking at work you know you like and some work that might be new to you.

You can see many contemporary artists including Stephaine’s artwork at the Grand Opening of the Siskiyou Arts Museum on March 8, 20135-7pm

What is an Artists Retrospective?

The art world often features show called Artist Retrospectives.  Retrospective’s are shows featuring a lifetime of artworks or could be just a body of work an artist made during a particular stage or period in their artistic careers.  One of the most famous might be Picasso’s Blue Period.

So why it is a retrospective a big deal? A retrospective is a show of a body of works the artists has created over their time of painting or making art. In Siskiyou County it is rare to see a retrospective or even a one artist show. There just isn’t the gallery space.

What might visitors expect to see? One should be able to look at work and learn about the artist’s style and how that style has evolved over time. Artwork, like life, should be a growing process. Few of us are the same person we were ten years ago and I’m hoping to see changes for the next ten years. The work of an artist should be expressed and evident in the work they create.

The Anne Kincaid opening at the Siskiyou Arts Museum retrospective is a terrific example of the process of an artist in 30+ paintings.  Anne started out painting watercolors, but is now best known for her encaustics. Watercolor is about the flow and shape of color painted on flat paper. Encaustic is about multiple layers, color and is rich in textures. Many of the paintings between her early work and later encaustic the viewer can see how she has explored texture. Watercolors are usually painted rather quickly and encaustics are layers built upon layers taking much more time. In all of her work you can see Anne loves color!

Anne Kincaid standing in the Siskiyou Arts Museum.

Link to an interview with Anne Kincaid: http://www.mtshastanews.com/article/20130228/NEWS/130229758