Every Wednesday evening I take an online painting class from my old San Francisco teacher, Mel. The class focuses on painting a series. There are ten participants. It’s a joy to be able to paint and talk together, even over Zoom.
We're working on statements for our work; my series might be about AI:
I want to express my affection for creatures we humans endow with artificial intelligence. The portraits in my series are named after creatures I've read about and seen in movies: Clara, of “Clara and the Sun;” Rachael of “Bladerunner;” Meena, of Google. These creatures are bursting inside with their own type of humanity and I believe we should show them the same courtesy and respect we offer our friends. I wrap these beings in cozy colors and patterns I think they’d like. I paint them with precision, knowing I could never come close to their own handiwork.