"Passage" 30x70in neomosaic mixed media on gallery wrap canvas

At a recent conference for creatives of all genres the organisers (RAFA) introduced us to a discussion on the phenomenon of artificial intelligence and its effect on the arts industry and the creative process. This industry generates $2.4 billion per year in Alberta alone.*

The conference began with a sampling of music from Chantal Rondeau. A writer and storyteller, Chantal has created over 1800 songs using AI with her poetry as abase. I must admit I really liked the music which begs the question: do we really need creatives? Honestly, why bother taking up so much time with a creative process when a computer can pump out perfectly acceptable art in a fraction of the time?

Sometimes the creative process takes years. When I discovered my own style of painting, it took me four years to complete the work. 'Passage", so appropriately named, reminds me of how I have progressed. My style, neomosaic, is an original way of painting. The time it took to develop involved complex random happenings over the course of many years. an amalgamation of chance encounters and serendipitous delights incubated within my humanity until it was ready to hatch.

I use AI to translate mostly. It does save time. The painting and the poetry, however, are not artificially generated. My creative process remains mine and I revel in the time it takes.

*from Arts Impact Alberta 2025: Ripple Effects from the Arts Sector