The Bloomcore 100

In a small frenzy of activity over the last two months I’ve curated 100 AI-generated and AI-assisted images for a virtual exhibition on Etsy. Here’s my ‘exhibition’ title and description:

The BLOOMCORE 100:

Part PROspective, part purge, this curated collection of recent work is the result of AI fabrications that exist as a result of Deidhre’s actions in hi-tech, mathematical and philosophical spaces, about which she has little clue #self loop #strange loop.

The works are a selection from [an estimated] 100k AI images I have made over the last 12 months. The notion of AI curation as part of my creative practice is entertained here.

About Bloomcore

According to the leaked list of Midjourney AI styles bloomcore is “Aesthetic celebrating the beauty of blooming flowers and nature”. It’s one of the many current trends under the botanical aesthetic umbrella.

The spiral for me into bloomcore began with granny chic, then cottagecore, then cottagepunk, then forestpunk and the rudimentary naturecore. For me, a generic love of flowers as motif and symbol.

Every image on DeidhreWauchopStudio at Etsy has a floral element. That was not my intent, it just happened, and I only noticed that I was making that selection at about listing #88. I suspect that the majority of the rest of the 99,900 generated images also have blooms of one sort or another.

Why blooms?

When I retired from my day job I embraced gardening, for the visuals more than the welcome contemplative act of watering, weeding, planting and propagating. Then my garden took over my artwork. Add AI into the mix and there has been a blossoming.

I use the kikyomon as a signature and certain flowers have a meaningful construction in my work. I love the maximalist nature of big, showy blooms, so too the tiny petals of the smallest blossom, especially those that have separated and are lone dots of colour on hard patinated surfaces.

The purge

A blooming purge was in order so I have set up DeidhreWauchopStudio with AI artwork digital downloads. Miles of magnolias, a wealth of wildflowers and dahlias for days.

My reasoning is that these images are artworks that satisfy a progression in my practice. On the one hand they expunge some of my maximalist tendencies; on the other they reveal to me where I’m headed.

I’d love you to visit and view.

Should you wish to own a little slice of my life at the moment I’d love you to get a 50% discount in the next week using discount code BLOOMCORE50. All proceeds of downloads go to my garden and more material blooming. I guarantee that any proceeds will not add to inflation and will support the environment. 🌸 🌸 🌸

Audit of an AI design

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS AI IMAGES

So far this year Bot and I have created ~40,000 images. The image below is a tiled pattern that I will manipulate in Photoshop and then print on fabric (Spoonflower). Then I’ll make something like a bucket bag out of the fabric.

Below, I’ve ‘reverse-engineered’ the image in pictures with prompts so you can see the process. This image was a relatively simple one to track back. Some are almost impossible to track origins for because they contain multiple seeds with multiple blends and variations.

If it looks complicated, the work of Bot in making, varying, stylising and storing and/or retrieving images is complicated. The most time-consuming part of what I do is looking for images that we have already constructed, and working out how to blend with my own images (digital and painted) to keep consistency with my body of work.

Prompt for repeat design above: https://s.mj.run/8YX8BqLqdf8 haeckel style plants –tile –s 50

NOTE: The design Bot made is not close to the original because –s 50, even though it is the ‘stylise low’ parameter, still allows Bot’s default aesthetic. To limit the default aesthetic change to the –style raw parameter.

Prompt image blend at left: https://s.mj.run/0f0AAfZTQtU ::2 https://s.mj.run/elb9rVaxWyI ::4 –stylize 50 –v 5.2

At left: https://s.mj.run/0f0AAfZTQtU

At right: https://s.mj.run/elb9rVaxWyI

Text prompt for grid at left: Flat lay view of a botanical engraving of 6 botanical specimens on a white background in the style of Haeckel

Text prompt for grid at right: flat lay view of a hand-coloured botanical engraving of 3 botanical specimens on a white background in the style of Ernst Haeckel –v 5.2

Above: Images with similar prompts that led, some months later to the fabric design above. These images provide further elements for ongoing work.