In one sentence
In my process, AI is not an “image at the push of a button”, but a tool that accelerates research, thinking and image finding – before oil, pigments, UV layer and text turn it into a real work in layers.
When I start working on a new art series, there is always a thought at the beginning that I can’t let go of. A theme that takes root – usually deeply rooted in questions of neuropsychology, human experience, thinking and feeling. I want to understand it, grasp it, make it visible. It’s these ideas that won’t let go, even when everyday life has long since moved on.
Step 1 – Research until it “clicks”
So I do research. I read studies, articles, observations. And this is where AI begins to play its first role. Language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity help me to find well-founded information, grasp connections and discover new perspectives. They are tools, not oracles: they structure the jungle of knowledge through which I move.
And sometimes they take me down completely new dead ends – but anyone who makes art knows that detours often lead to exactly where things get exciting.
Step 2 – Stream of thought, raw and uncensored
A text is created in parallel. A stream of thoughts. Raw, uncensored, emotional. I jot down everything that goes through my head – without order, without pretension. Like a wild garden.
And again I turn to AI: it helps me to sort my thoughts, to make connections visible, to find words where before there were only jumbled fragments.
Slowly, an inner picture begins to emerge. It is still diffuse – but full of atmosphere, full of meaning.
Step 3 – Prompting as a dialog (not as an order)
From my collected, now organized words, a first prompt is created: a description that I enrich myself with lighting moods, emotions and textures before I pass it on to an AI image generator such as DALL-E or Midjourney.
And this is where the real experience begins – that moment when imagination, technology and gut feeling come together in one image. I affectionately call it a mindfuck: when the AI presents me with something that is simultaneously wrong, fascinating and somehow… just right. A mental tightrope act that often opens up new perspectives.
(Internal link tip: link your article “Experience & Mindfuck – Art that takes you away” here).
But I rarely hit the mark with the images I generate. Sometimes it takes 10, sometimes 50 or more attempts before I get a result that makes the right sound inside me.
And sometimes the AI drives me to despair. Sometimes it makes me laugh. Because its suggestions have about as much to do with my idea as a hippopotamus has to do with ballet. (Try it out – “hippopotamus in ballet” is really… special).
The important thing is: I’m not looking for the perfect picture. I’m looking for a counterpart. For me, the generated images are a dialog with the AI – a mirror of what is possible now. A mirror of the times, of technology, of collective knowledge. That is also part of my art.
Step 4 – Digital editing (incl. AI in the background)
Once the right image has been found, the next step begins: I download it, edit it digitally – with Photoshop, other tools, and yes: AI is involved here too. Sometimes unnoticed in the background. Sometimes very specifically: when I remove a background or correct perspectives with a single click.
Sometimes it works surprisingly well. And sometimes… not.
Then the picture rests. I look at it from a distance, discard it, change it, add to it. Sometimes it is blurred, distorted, taken apart. And when it’s ready, it goes to print – in grayscale, on canvas or handmade paper. It is still raw.
Step 5 – Print becomes raw material, oil becomes decision
Now the analog part begins. I experiment with colors – currently almost exclusively with (neon) oil paints. The combination of AI aesthetics and classical painting fascinates me: an encounter between the past and the future. Between old masters and luminous pigments that can open up another dimension under black light.
My sketchbook is a valuable tool during this phase. I collect small printouts of my works in it and experiment with colors, combinations, intensities and moods directly on them. It is my laboratory: free, playful, intuitive. And sometimes colorful, blotchy and chaotic. But what would a real sketchbook be without a bit of artistic chaos?
(Image hint: Your sketchbook photo fits perfectly here).
The original print is precious – and yes, definitely expensive. There is no going back. Every layer of paint has to be right. And yet I work patiently, layer by layer, with long drying times that demand a lot from my impatient self.
Me and patience – a love story with potential for conflict.
Step 6 – Text as second layer
This is accompanied by texts – poetic, explanatory, sometimes cryptic. Here too, the AI is my counterpart, my sparring partner. I let myself be inspired by suggestions, reformulate, discard, revise – until a text emerges that carries the image and is carried by the image.
With a bit of luck, it won’t end up sounding like “written by an AI”, but like me – only with slightly fewer typos.
At the end
The end result is a work that has been created on many levels: with head, with heart, with technology. AI was not a substitute for creativity – it was part of my artistic process. A source of inspiration, a tool, a mirror of my time.
And perhaps this work will one day find its place in a home where it can continue to work – quietly, radiantly, multi-layered. And when it shines in the right light, I know:
All the madness was worth it.
Thanks for reading and best regards
AuroraGen
PS: ChatGPT has suggested the following headline for this blog post:
“Synapses, sensors and black lights: a modern creation story”.
Which headline do you like better?
Mini-FAQ
Is that still “your” art then?
Yes, AI is a tool and dialog partner – in the end, the artistic decision is always made by my gaze, my hand, my process.
How much is AI, how much is oil?
KI accompanies research and image finding. The work is finally created as a physical work: print, oil, layers, drying time, surface.
Why UV/black light?
Because it enables a second level: a detailed space that doesn’t scream, but only shows itself when you invite it in.
