Aloha! Thanks for visiting my table at Local Pigeon! I’m so grateful that Chris asked me to do this and wanted to share a bit more about me besides the wedding and rosary business. I also want to brag that I am the one that came up with the name Local Pigeon.
I am an artist too! I’ve been an artist since I could hold a crayon and like my Grandmother before me, I used whatever medium was around to get creative. Lo these many years (more than a half century) I have drawn, painted, photographed, sculpted, glued, copied, collaged, grown – you name the medium or method and I’ve probably done it. For a few decades I actively showed my art in galleries and public spaces even attaining the coveted solo show in Dumbo, NY in the mid-oughts.
Things shifted when I moved to Maui over a decade ago. I continue to make art, but for most of my time here on Maui that sort of show and tell art has fallen by the wayside.
Why did I choose to use prints in AI-generated Studio Ghibli anime style for my table?
I have always loved the Ghibli films and find that their style of imagery represents the magic of Maui and what I do here so beautifully. And having one style tying all these diverse images into a storybook table works so dang well! Also it is not something I’m readily capable of pulling off with my skills. In the end it really came down to this old saying:
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
I honor the many, many artists who brought those films to life and thank them for their beautiful work. To name a few: Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Kazuo Oga, Nizo Yamamoto, Yoji Takeshige, Yoshifumi Kondo, Masashi Ando, Katsuya Kondo, Michiyo Yasuda, Makiko Futaki, Megumi Kagawa
My thoughts on AI as an artist
I have such ambivalence about AI and in the time I am writing this my view is generally very dim. And yet here I am utilizing it and sensing I should share a “hear me out” moment.
Simply generating “art” with AI for its own sake is demeaning to what it is to be human, to struggle, persist and put oneself into one’s work. Without real human thought, effort, interaction and connection the results are slapdash slop. And honestly we don’t need any more junk.
AI slop does remind us of the value of beautiful human creations, and I don’t think it can ever replace the real thing because real art touches deep into the soul because it comes from the soul.
Just converting and spitting things out of a large language model and calling art or creative is a cop-out. What I have done here is curate, design and tell a story using the art of the photos (most taken by colleagues and some by me) converted into one general style. There was much contemplation, practice, time, sweat, mistakes, revelations and effort put into the table top. I spent weeks wondering about creative choices and if the end result would be enough to call it art.
So what I offer you is a collage, using the work of other artists – much thought and effort went into it. It could be decoration, art or something in between but I hope you enjoy the playful vibe.
me ka ha’aha’a (with humility),
Julienne
