Thursday 30 March 2023

March 2023 Review

AI ART was still racing at a fast pace in March 2023 -- YouTube: AI is Evolving Faster Than You Think [GPT-4 and beyond]:

KRRRL AI ART -- March 2023


AI ART Developments
  • March 13, 2023: I noted that Leonardo.AI had updated their program on March 9th, which hurt my results.  I could no longer choose "Prompt Magic" after uploading one of my drawings to "Image to Image."  Previously the "Prompt Magic" option generated better results (also giving me more control)
  • March 16, 2023:  ChatGPT4 debuted on March 14th, and Midjourney upgraded to Version 5
  • El Paso Museum of History...and...:  On March 18th Leonardo.AI added paid services. On March 23rd Mage.Space added Text2GIF, allowing paid users to create short animated GIFs using only text prompts in AI.  On March 24th Mage.Space got kicked off of their Discord server
  • On March 21 Adobe released Firefly, their AI Art program
  • On March 27th RunwayML opened their AI video program -- GEN-1 -- including limited free minutes to everyone.  I made the video below with RunwayML GEN-1:
Mage.Space
EzGif
Leonardo.AI
RunwayML -- GEN-1
GEN-1 AI Video


How I created the AI video above:
  • I first generated an image in Leonardo.AI, in the style of Mucha using a model based on my drawings (see the portrait below)
  • In Mage.space I generated a few animated GIFs with their new Txt2GIF feature
  • I converted the animated GIF into an MP4 video using EzGif
  • Using the new GEN-1 feature in RunwayML with the new GEN-1 feature, I transferred the style of the Leonardo.AI image onto the Mage.Space videos

SELECTED AI IMAGES

Generated in Leonardo.AI from a model based on my drawings -- "Krrrl01" -- in the styles of Mucha and Hans Bellmer:


Created in Leonardo.AI
keyed on my drawings and Mucha's style,
and generated with a model based on my drawings - Krrrl01





















PRINT EXHBITIONS

Ambos Lados in El Paso

We had a great Ambos Lados International Print  Exchange Exhibition opening at the El Paso Museum of History on March 18th, 2023:

Ambos Lados International Print Exchange Exhbition
at the El Paso Museum of History
on Marcy 18th, 2023



Albuquerque pop-up Exhibitions

I put up a couple of print pop-up exhibitions in Albuquerque before I went to El Paso:

March 9, 2023
Print pop-up exhibition
during the drawing session on March 9th,
at the North Fourth Art Center in Albuquerque


March 14, 2023
Print pop-up exhibition
during the drawing session on March 14th
at Henry Morales's studio in Albuquerque


Printmaking




I established a proof-of-concept for combining AI Art with Printmaking -- streamlining the whole process, from stick figure to linocut print:


This print started as a stick figure
using Scribble Diffusion

March 9, 2023
A different AI print based on my drawing style,
laser engraved into linoleum and printed


We made some jig-saw prints at Henry Morales' studio -- half Henry Morales, half Virgil Velasco and half Cody Kamrowski.  This is because I had a stack of two linoleum squares cut in two like puzzle pieces, and handed out the pieces to the artists:

March 14, 2023
Half Henry Morales (right half),
half Vigil Velasco (left image)
and half Cody Kamrowski (right image)


I then had a stack of three linoleum squares jig-saw cut in the shape of the Rio Grande, where it separates Texas from Mexico.  I gave this stack to Manuel Guerra in El Paso, hoping that he would hand out the lower three halves to artists in Juarez, and the upper three halves to artists in El Paso:

Stack of three linoleum squares (6x6 inches)
cut in the shape of the Rio Grande
where it separates Texas from Mexico


Ellie

We have been printmaking, mostly with our feet, during the model breaks (and sometimes into the poses), at the North Fourth Art Center in Albuquerque, during the Thursday night drawing sessions.  Ellie Weadock has stepped up and pushed our printmaking to new heights:

March 9, 2023
Ellie printing with her feet
using the FEZIBO anti-fatigue board


March 16, 2023
Ellie experimenting with a monoprint technique
during the drawing session in Albuquerque


Ellie tried a figurative collagraph at home that night (March 16th) --
The inked plate on the left,
and the print on the right


I was in El Paso and missed two drawing sessions, March 23rd and March 30th.  However Ellie brought printmaking material to the North Fourth Art Center drawing sessions and continued printing:

On March 23rd, 2023:

We had previously laser engraved Athan Psomas' image into linoleum and printed it as a relief print.  However I believe they were trying to print it as an intaglio print:


It looks like Athan Psomas' intaglio print came out weak...


However with a little TLC
Athan Psomas' print came out beautifully


On March 30th, 2023:

Zoe printing with her feet






 Other

I am liking drawing/gouging into Expanded PVC Foam because I can get a variety of lines and marks:

March 7, 2023
"Printing" with a pencil rubbing
to see what the real inked print would look like


On the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Albuquerque there was an exhibition of the New Mexico Scholastic High School artists, which included work from El Paso.  Diane Vera of El Paso (and Ambos Lados) is mentioned as the teacher of the student who created this print below:

Diane Vera's student in El Paso
was exhibiting a fine relief print in Albuquerque


Pete McCracken is now running the Palace Press, at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe:

March 13, 2023
Pete McCracken (left)
is now running the Palace Press
in Santa Fe


Martin Quintanilla
of the Desert Triangle Print Carpeta,
peddling his printing press
in Patzcuaro, Mexico


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Wednesday 29 March 2023

March 28, 2023

I went to draw at La Toma in El Paso and discovered an empty building.  Apparently they stopped drawing there last week as the building was sold and all the artists left.


Empty gallery and studio
at La Toma in El Paso


Empty gallery and studio
at La Toma in El Paso


How Midjourney AI 
imagines the life drawing session
that didn't happen


Even the Lucha Libre wrestling stage in the next room
was gone

So I drew on Zoom with the Tuesday Night drawing group of Santa Fe but from El Paso. They draw both in person and on Zoom at the new Argos Gallery/Studio location, in a hybrid real/virtual drawing session that had started during Covid:















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Saturday 25 March 2023

El Paso Museum of History...and...


AMBOS LADOS

We had a marvelous exhibition for Ambos Lados at the El Paso Museum of History, opening on Saturday, March 18th, 2023:


Ambos Lados opening
at the El Paso Museum of History


The gallery at the
El Paso Museum of History


I did live printmaking during the opening


We didn't get to make enough prints for the staff, so Manny pulled some very nice prints at his studio, from Sir Henry Morales's linocut:

Extra copies of the print by 
Sir Henry Morales of Albuquerque
printed at Horned Toad Prints in El Paso


Also we left a bucket of mostly Albuquerque prints with Manny, for his upcoming 8x8 pop-up print exhibition on May 18th:

We left twelve 8x8 inch prints with Manny, 
the same ones we showed in Albuquerque on March 9th



Desert Triangle
 Printmakers

I also checked in on some of the El Paso artists in the Desert Triangle Print Carpeta -- in particular,  Zeke Peña, Tino Ortega and Jesus "Cimi" Alvarado.  The University of Arizona Art Museum is showing the Desert Triangle in the second half of 2023.  


I returned to the Ambos Lados gallery on Saturday, March 25th, to see Zeke Peña's presentation of his book -- "My Papi Has A Motorcycle."

The gallery was packed 
for the book presentations
of Zeke Peña and Raúl The Third


Tino Ortega of the Desert Triangle Print Carpeta came to the opening.  Later I saw his spot on PBS while watching TV in El Paso:

Only in El Paso | Tino Ortega


I also checked out Cimi's new mural in progress on March 25th, for the Segundo Barrio Futbol Club, at 4th and Campbell:



Cimi's mural-in-progress
for the Segundo Barrio Futbol Club


Entering Texas
from the New Mexico state line


MORE PRINTMAKING

Deborah has the cat print by Alberto Cruz, which apparently is also part of the portfolio -- Gabinete Grafico Carpeta 11 Años -- 100 Artistas:


Alberto Cruz's cat print (right wall)
is the most obvious in this picture


Alberto Cruz's print
at Deborah's house in El Paso


I'm jealous of Martin Quintanilla (also of the Desert Triangle) for his portable press in Pátzcuaro:

Martin Quintanilla 
peddling his printing press
in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico


On May 6th, 2023 there will be "Live Printmaking and a Studio Tour" in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Chris Bardey sent me this flyer:

May 6th, 2023
in Las Cruces, New Mexico


Also Marco Sanchez informs me that his exhibition will open on April 21st, 2023 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque -- Nexo Entre Raíces / Nexus Between Roots.

Also he is organizing a print fair in El Paso on July 28 and 29th, 2023 called -- El Paso Print Pachanga.


AI ART

AI Art is moving at lightning speed.

Mage.Space added a "Text2GIF"feature on March 23rd, 2023, allowing users to make animated GIFs from text input (but not image input, yet).  I made a video of all the animated GIF dancing sculptures I generated:

Best KRRRL Drawings playlist 2023
AI Sculptures Dancing


Mage.Space also got kicked off Discord on March 24th.


Leonardo.AI switched to a paid program on May 18th, 2023 (though they still have a free program, but with less credits).  They "upgraded" their program on March 9th, but that seemed to give me less control over tweaking my figure drawings in their program.  Nevertheless I am still getting interesting results in Leonardo.AI when I alter images with a model trained on my drawings:

Generated by Leonardo.AI
using one of the models trained on my drawings


Generated by Leonardo.AI
using one of the models trained on my drawings


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