I studied graphic design in order to secure a stable income while also pursuing artistic projects. I always had fantasies of being a full-time artist, but I needed time to find my own language as an artist.
Once I discovered AI art, it felt like I had discovered the missing piece that I was looking for all along.
My own form of expression manifested through various trials, from clay to 3D to acrylic and oil painting. I discovered my current way of working – a mix of artificial intelligence and digital painting – some years back, but already have 15 years of experience in digital painting.
My work process resembles the type of painting that starts off by splashing paint on paper. But in my case, the splashes are produced by artificial intelligence that creates a peculiar or random shape. Even before AI art, I would often make some kind of a mess as the basis of the actual work to see which direction I want to head in. My current way of working is a more refined version of this process.
I use online programmes such as ArtBreeder, where artificial intelligence formulates new images based on those selected. The surprisingness of images created in this way is a source of inspiration and a visual cue for me. If I need a giraffe either as one component or as a model for my work, I might feed this word into the programme and then use the AI-generated giraffe-like blob in my work.
Artificial intelligence awakens the imagination, but in terms of time spent, most of my work process is digital painting on Photoshop. I paint by stacking several layers on top of one another, using components I have generated with AI for the work at hand. I often say that my work process is reminiscent of a cake and its layers because I paint and combine generated images in layers in several rounds in order to reach my desired outcome.
Text can also serve as a longer prompt. We made a project with a poet friend of mine where we fed a whole poem to artificial intelligence. The generated images served as inspiration for a digital work. There must be some selection of attributes, however – I don’t use names or styles, for instance, so that the end result is as arbitrary as possible. When using AI, I want something as random as possible.
AI gives artists access to many kinds of diverse working methods, my chosen one is just one of many. I would describe my creations as mixed media works where digital painting and artificial intelligence merge together. I relate to AI as a continuation of creation insofar as it adds to the artist’s potential to be creative.
In addition to artificial intelligence, my interest in science and psychology also informs my work. My visual world often involves elements of nature and human body parts.
I once read that when a person sees a face, they can very easily stop to examine it. This impulse is genetically woven into us. I’m curious as to how much we can sense from a work that doesn’t supply a face or expression. I’m enchanted by mysteries, dim-lit moods, and unclarity. When I was younger, I mostly focused on faces or busts. Now I want to challenge myself and see how far I get without depicting the face at all.
When looking into design, artificial intelligence can bring about more opportunities to test out ideas. It is much easier than in the past to produce thousands of variations of a prototype in terms of forms and colours, as well as materials.
The range of future possibilities is a guessing game: AI art is currently developing at an astoundingly fast pace. The two previous years have witnessed as many developments as the previous two decades together. For myself, AI has facilitated a lot, including being able to work as a full-time artist.
The impact of artificial intelligence on art provokes plenty of discussion on the future of art, and understandably so. I would personally not worry about the current development.
There is always a fear of the new – and fear is coded into us. But something new also always presents an opportunity.
In the current conversation, I see many tie-ins to the early years of the popularisation of the camera, for instance. Many people were worried that cameras would take over the work of painters. The fear proved unfounded, however, and the new invention actually opened up a whole new art form. It’s worth acquainting ourselves with artificial intelligence and seeing what we can learn.
I have often been asked whether I want to see my works in traditional art galleries – as many of my works are up for sale in digital format, on NFT platforms. Instead of dreaming of certain galleries, I want to think outside the box. It’s much more fun to see my works in places that I couldn't even have dreamed up. This also mirrors the mystery and playfulness that is tied to my works.
Jenni Pasanen is an artist who stands as a forward-thinking figure in the digital art world, continuously pushing the boundaries and exploring new possibilities in her artistic journey.
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