Au revoir Meta and Twitter

 This year I decided to slim down the social media apps that I use. I got rid of Twitter which had become far too toxic to use. I also got rid of the Meta nonsense too; Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Twitter I used to enjoy but Meta I have always thought was shite. I only ever wanted to see stuff in chronological order. Meta can't comprehend such logic. So fuck em!

At first I found it strange, and a little lost, but I soon got over it. I feel much happier about not wasting so much time. It has though reduced the audience I had for my art. But then I don't make money from my art so it doesn't greatly matter.

Marley's ghost

 “Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever, about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it; and Scrooge's name was good upon change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.”

One of the few things that I've always liked about Christmas is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I don't remember a time when I didn't know the story. Of course I was brought up on Alistair Sim's film version and to this day it remains the definitive version in my view, but I like many other versions too. It's a story that never fails to bring a tear to my eye.

I have to confess that I didn't actually read the book until about five years ago. One thing that I wasn't expecting was that it would also bring a tear to my eye. It totally took me by surprise. That’s how good the writing is.

Anyway here’s a picture I drew loosely based on a Frank Findlay interpretation of Marley’s ghost. Enjoy.

Christmas tortoise advent calendar

As I’ve written here before, I’m not a big fan of Christmas. It’s the forced jollity and the over commercialisation that irritates me. It is after all just a celebration of the winter solstice. But anyway there are some things I like. I like candles, lights, public decorations and a modicum of comestibles. I dislike a lot of the nonsense and ritual that surrounds the period. But anyway a few years ago, spending a Christmas in France I discovered the Christmas Tortoise. From that point on the whole meaning of Christmas has been tortoise. So this year I thought I would create a sort of online advent calendar. My gift to the world that celebrates. You can find it here.

I hope they at least bring a modicum of amusement. The world is a shit place, and at this time of year the shit is amplified. Please do what you can to spread some cheer. If you feel able, please give to one or all of the following:

DEC

Oxfam

Trussell Trust

Please share across social media if you can.

Void of war

 I've long loved the work of Paul Nash. His poignant war paintings never fail to move me. My favourite is this one:

Void of war, 1918

I've actually seen this picture in the flesh so to speak. It stopped me dead in my tracks, and I stood looking at it for ages. It's simple, stark and effective. It appears to convey the futility, destruction and total waste and stupidity of war.

He was a wonderful painter. You can read more about him and further examples of his war art here on The Public Domain Review.

I went to Arles and discovered an artist

 As you wander the streets of Arles, echoes of the past are with you always. It's like no other place I've ever been. Like much of France it has a frayed beauty. Everywhere you look there is something interesting. A feast for the eyes. A crinkly smile comes to me as you look up at a quant building.

Van Gogh fell in love with the place; it's not hard to understand why. It's packed full of Roman and mediaeval architecture. So centre ville won't have changed that much since his time. There is a photograph around every corner, and I've probably taken that many. Here are a selection:

Nowhere man

 It's over a year now since moving to France. For a number of reasons it's not been an easy ride but it has been a necessary one. I consider myself a refugee. A Brexit refugee. Someone who has fled the rain, the disappointment and the gross stupidity that is England. I feel that the country of my birth birth has rejected me and my ilk. I certainly don't feel that I have rejected my country. The country that I knew and loved no longer exists; ruined by racists and other assorted morons. It is a country firmly in self destruct mode. It will not improve until it rejoins the EU. I can't imagine I'll live to see that day.

If I'm honest I don't feel totally at home here, but I've no desire to go back. I feel like I'm living in a nomansland. I am a nowhere man treading water. Don't get me wrong, I live in a lovely place and the people are very friendly here. I'm the problem. I don't really fit. But then I don't really fit anywhere now.

Alt Text Zealots

 This is possibly going to upset some people unfortunately. There are usually two sides to every story and I don't think that the alt text zealots realise how much anxiety they cause people like me by judging everyone who falls short on the alt text front as being all the same. I believe in equality. It upsets me if I upset other people. I want the world to be as inclusive as possible and I have no desire to discriminate against the partially sighted. But do you know how painful the stress of trying to think about describing a picture, and failing to do so, can be? I just can't do it. It's why my alt text is either sparse or non-existent. It's one of the reasons I'm an artist. I think in pictures, I just can't put into words what I want to say. I have virtually no descriptive powers. I am descriptively illiterate. My brain doesn't work like that. It's why my alt text is a few words or nothing at all.

My ability to put into words what I see is next to useless. It stops me from putting many pictures on social media. Perhaps that's a good thing? I really couldn't say. All I know is that I'm constantly torn. Do I publish a picture or do I not? Perhaps my sight privilege is distorting my opinion on this? I do not know.

I do hope that one day AI will be utilised to provide a solution because it not only impacts on those with impaired visibility it also impacts on those of us of limited descriptive ability.

It's not about laziness. If it was I wouldn't have written this! It is upsetting for me. I don’t like being like this.

The imaginary art of Paul Garrard

 I asked an AI picture generator to produce pictures on the subject of "The imaginary art of Paul Garrard" and it produced four pictures. I've no idea how it arrived at the pictures it produced as they bear no resemblance to anything I've done. But anyway I've mounted them in a frame and they are displayed below:

For my real art please visit my gallery.

One fine day...

 One fine day in the middle of the night,

Two dead men got up to fight,

Back to back they faced each other,

Drew their swords and shot one another.

Living their best life

Last Thursday evening we had a very nice meal at the coast. The restaurant is right on the seafront. We had a table that was just inside but with a view looking out to the Mediterranean sea. It was a cloudy but warm evening and the sea was quite tranquil.

Also at the restaurant at the same time were two other couples, a smartly dressed older lady on her own and a group of about six ladies of a certain age. The group of ladies gave the impression that they were living their best life. They were all quite brightly dressed , talking and laughing and one was puffing on a huge cigar. They ordered three or four bottles of wine and then ordered food. They were clearly having a good time chatting and enjoying each other's company.

When I was a child, people of my grandparents' generation were old. They looked old, they thought old and they acted old. I'm pleased that many of the people of my generation refuse to be like that. Including me. Stay young people!

The Illusion of Ownership: Digital Art's Existential Quandary

 You can't buy my art. It doesn't exist.

In a world where physical ownership is often equated with value, the realm of digital art poses a fascinating paradox—it exists, yet doesn't exist in the traditional sense. Schrödinger's art if you will. Unlike tangible artworks that occupy physical space, digital art challenges our notions of ownership and tangibility.

The essence of art lies in its ability to evoke emotions, provoke thoughts, and challenge perceptions. However, digital art blurs the lines between the tangible and the intangible. It resides in the digital ether, accessible with a click, yet elusive in its formlessness.

While we can admire digital art on screens, share it with others, and even purchase digital copies*, the notion of ownership becomes nebulous. Unlike a physical painting or sculpture that we can possess, display, and pass down through generations, digital art exists in a realm where replication is effortless, and originality is often questioned. This is what I so love about it. Art as a commodity is just bollocks.

The concept of scarcity, which underpins the value of many physical artworks, loses its footing in the digital domain. With the ease of duplication and distribution, the scarcity that drives traditional art markets is diluted, challenging the conventional mechanisms of valuation.

Moreover, the intangible nature of digital art raises questions about authenticity and authorship. In a world where digital manipulation is commonplace, distinguishing between an original work and a reproduction becomes increasingly complex.

Yet, despite these challenges, the allure of digital art persists. Its fluidity allows for experimentation, collaboration, and democratisation of artistic expression. Artists can transcend geographical boundaries, reach global audiences, and engage in dynamic interactions with their viewers.

Ultimately, the paradox of digital art lies in its ephemeral nature—it exists in the digital realm, yet its impact transcends screens and pixels. While we may not be able to possess digital art in the traditional sense, its influence on our culture, creativity, and imagination is undeniable.

In embracing digital art, we confront the evolution of artistic expression and redefine our relationship with the intangible. As we navigate this ever-changing landscape, we are reminded that the true essence of art lies not in its physical form, but in the emotions and ideas it inspires. It is the ultimate art!

I actually like the fact that my art does not exist. I like that it can only ever be printed as a copy if, for some reason, a physical copy needs to be displayed. I gave up trying to sell my art quite a while ago. I found the whole process of trying to hawk my wares to be a pain in the arse. Now I just make my art and if people get something out of it then that's good. If not then it doesn't greatly matter. Not being an artmonger is quite liberating.

*I realise that there'll be some knobhead who will probably mention NFTs and all I would say to that is please do fuck off.

Cash is king

And like any monarchy it exploits and oppresses people.

To all those ostriches who are continually whining on the social medias about cashless businesses, self-service tills and using cash. You need to wake up. You're wasting your energy on a lost cause. And indeed the wrong cause. All because you are frightened of change. These changes are inevitable. You will not stop them. The cashless society is coming. The real enemy is not the cashless society. The real enemy is capitalism. Capitalism is all consuming. It is wasteful. It is inherently unfair. And it has total control. But, It doesn't have to be like this. Put your energy into something productive. Take back control in the only way possible. Support, promote and fight for socialism. It is the only sane, equitable, fair and credible solution. Socialism will ensure your safety. Nothing else will.

At best all you'll do by complaining is delay the demise of cash a little. If you think that cash somehow makes you immune from control then you are a complete idiot. Governments can make cash valueless overnight if they so wished. It could be that easy. Cash only has value if it is backed by a government. In other words it only has value if a government says it has value.

Stop worrying about the minutiae and focus on the bigger picture. You have no freedom because you have opted out of democracy. Because you are too lazy or stupid to join in. As a consequence the cancer that is right-wingery (the political wing of capitalism) has taken hold. If you'd been a bit more vociferous about losing control of your rights, or just plainly voting them away then you might not be so fearful. Cash isn't going to save you. Nothing will save the completely stupid. FFS wake up.

 

I'm not afraid of AI

 I know I've written before about AI but I thought a little update on my thoughts etc. might be useful. Well for me it would.

I know that there's been a lot of scaremongering and quite frankly false information about AI but it really does have great potential to enhance our lives. I think that for a start AI is wrongly named. Artificial intelligence is a bit of a misnomer really. It isn't really intelligent, as far as I can understand it. At the end of the day it is just software. Albeit very sophisticated software. Essentially its software that recognises and discovers patterns. The universe is governed by numbers and patterns. Who knows, one day it might even tell us why the meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42. As always it's just a tool. You have nothing to fear from it. And as always it is people you have to fear. Particularly people who think that AI is infallible. 

The Post Office debacle showed us that if you believe software (which is written by humans) isn't intrinsically flawed then people suffer. Nothing is perfect. Software certainly isn't.

Having said all that, AI definitely has its uses. I find it useful to sometimes incorporate it into my art. I think of it as a pseudo ekphrasis. Offering inspiration in a serendipitous form. It's also useful for writing stuff. As those who've read this blog on previous occasions will know I'm not really an accomplished writer. I struggle to get across what I want to say. But I want to say stuff, and sometimes I'm put off from saying it because the words just don't come. That's where AI comes in. You can get AI to form the skeleton and perhaps some flesh. After which one's own personal input can be added and edited. I think it's going to be invaluable. It's going to help with all sorts of technical things in our daily. We just have to make sure we understand that it is just software.

I have decided anything created in this way will be credited to G.P.Thomson. A name I have made up. I would also add that AI was not used in the writing of this post but it was for the picture.