Dog Days, AI, and the Soul of Art
Summer’s in full swing — dog days, they’re called. Here in the high desert, days are hot, nights are cool, and the tourist rush is over ’til autumn. Plus it’s monsoon season, which means swoon-worthy skies. Being a sky person, it’s all good in my book.
But I’m also an ocean person. After nearly eight great years in the Southwest, I still miss the Atlantic and spontaneous trips “down the shore,” where sun, sand, and gulls mingle with tides that swiftly wash your troubles away (followed by ice cream, always). Sigh…
Either way, inspiration’s never in short supply. Lately I’ve been creating small abstracts for a gallery, but I’m itching to balance that with large works — some in progress, others waiting their turn. The wheels never stop.
(Warning: philosophical ramble ahead.)
Occasionally though, my passion bumps up against the outside world. With AI gaining all sorts of momentum, questions bubble up. Questions like: Will people continue to value art made by hand? The union of mind, spirit, and brush that creates one-of-a-kind expressions — will those become relics as AI grows more proficient at mimicking what was previously only achieved by the human touch?
We seem to be perched on a collective edge. The stuff of science fiction is sitting squarely on our doorstep, and AI’s potential is astounding, opening worlds beyond imagination. But what does it mean for us?
I believe — whether realized or not — that right now people are craving the real, the genuine: bare toes on grass, hands in dirt tending deliciously imperfect tomatoes, strumming a guitar, reading original literature, slathering paint on canvas. Things that make our souls feel alive, in ways quick fixes and constant electronic connection cannot.
Because at the heart of it, the value of human-made work isn’t just in the finished piece, it’s in the lived moments embedded there. The smell of rain before a monsoon, the salty sting of the sea, the way love can lift you or break you — these experiences seep into a brushstroke, a note, a line of prose. You may not be able to name it, but you can feel the hand behind it and the spirit within it — signatures in every piece of art, carrying the imprint of a soul that has been somewhere.
And here’s a fun twist: I asked AI what it thought about all this. In its words: “AI can reproduce beauty, cleverness, even emotional resonance — but it can’t have been there. It reflects what’s already in the room. Human creativity, at its best, builds the room and invites you in. And maybe that’s the crux: AI can give output, but humans give presence.”
And presence, after all, is what we fall in love with.
Yes, every era fears new technology. Maybe it’s just the speed of this change that feels unsettling — as if we’re living in the remnants of a world already past, being asked to catch up. And I can’t help but wonder if future generations will even have a tangible sense of humanity’s creative fabric … versus perfect simulation.
Time will tell.
For now, I say, indulge your senses with real art. Make it. Visit it. Buy it. Show it. Share it. Love it. We may need it more than ever.
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SPEAKING OF PAINT SLATHERING:
I’ve got two (already filled) single day workshops in October, but there are openings for November’s version of my 3-day Unleashing Your Creativity workshop. And just added, a 6-week Oil Painting Immersion class in early 2026; details coming soon.
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Til next time – remember:
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread.” —John Muir
UPCOMING CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
