An avid fan of our online art gallery wondered last week about AI- generated artwork, which has been included in our collections.
I asked the creator, Ken Runkel, for his thoughts. He says:
“I do use AI as one of the ‘tools’ in my art creation process. I am also a digital photographer, and create many pieces of art that are strictly photography. Some may employ techniques such as ICM (Intentional Camera Movement), or have been edited in one or more Adobe applications before resulting in a final product.
“A large portion of work in my portfolio is a combination of processes, starting with a photograph that I shot that is then fed into an AI engine for interpretation. AI will then output multiple written descriptions of the photograph based on what it ‘sees,’ each slightly different from the next, and give me the option of having the computer generate multiple images for each interpretation I select.
“I do not hide the fact that I use AI. In fact, it is a prominent part of my ‘about me’ description on my portfolio website. as well as in my bios on all social media platforms that I use.
“I make no apologies for exploring and using this technology in my work. I recognize that it is considered the ‘black sheep’ of the art world for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it is largely misunderstood by the general public. Because of this, it is feared. Some believe that it strips away creativity and authenticity.
“But these very same concerns and fears have been faced countless times throughout the history of art. Photography is probably one of the more recent examples.
“Many people believed that photography could not be art because it was made by a machine rather than by human creativity. Many also saw it as a threat to ‘real art.’ Sound familiar?
“A second view was that photography could be useful to artists for reference but should not be considered as equal to drawing and painting. There are likely people who still believe this to be true.
“A third point of view felt that photography might eventually be as significant an art form as painting. This group, including hobbyists and tinkerers, avidly explored its potential.
“It seems likely, in fact, that photography was one of the major catalysts of the Modern Art movement: Its influence led to decades of vitality in the world of painting, as artists were both inspired by photographic images and pushed beyond realism, and rethought the very nature of art.
“Without photography, perhaps modern art would never have existed. Personally, I think AI will have a similar impact on the world of art.”
Now, on to this week’s gallery. Remember: No matter what your theme or medium — and whether you’re a first-timer or oldtimer: We welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Including digital works!
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“Behind the Wall” — digital composite (Ken Runkel)
“Dining on Effervescent Light” (Mike Hibbard)
“The Conductor” (F. Faucher) — at Westport River Gallery
“Bryant Park, New York City” (E. Bruce Borner)
Untitled collage (Cohl Katz)
“Violet Explosion” (Amy Schneider)
Untitled — at Burying Hill Beach (Wendy Levy)
“Pruning Love” (Maj Kalfus)
“Ornate Police Station is part of UConn’s Avery Point Campus at the southeast shore of Connecticut.” Photographer Peter Barlow says: “This view introduced me to the the estate of Morton Plant, who owned many yachts over 100 feet. He is mostly unknown now, but he was quite decent as these people go and funded lots of good things. His huge mansion still exists there, but UConn put in their own new buildings. This was the original gatehouse for the Morton F. Plant estate.”
“The Painted Desert” (Steve Stein)
“What Was I Thinking?” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)