You see, in past years a good portion of my work was commercial illustration. Old school, on-the-drawing-board, hand-rendered illustration. But, more and more, computer artists are getting these gigs. 

Here's an example: I hand-rendered the following two illustrations for the covers of school supply catalogs.

However, the following year, this same client told me they were using a computer artist who charged a lot less per illustration. I couldn't compete with the prices. Another gig lost to the computer artist. I guess I could join the pack and turn to programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop for my professional work, but I'm a little stubborn.

Yet now I find myself competing with computer artists in the genre of abstract and fantasy paintings. Have you seen all the "Digital Art Galleries" online? Whew. 

Then again, am I hypocritical because I embrace technology when I offer my original paintings in Giclee on canvas prints?
 
On one hand I can make a case that all my giclees are reproductions of my own original artwork which I spent many hours working on at the easel. My decision to offer these in giclees -- in my mind -- make them more affordable than the originals.

On the other hand, I could be accused of using technology to lower the market value of original art. What to do? What to do? Now you know why I feel like my friend the Dragon above.   

Let's move on to another wrinkle in the computer art discussion: 

Generative artwork created by algorithms. 

I seriously do not know what to think of this "art." There's a random quality to it. Although the "artist" enters a series of rules, parameters and variables, there is a level of total randomness to the final image. An image which is then further manipulated by the computer artist.

And may I add there is no need for traditional skills like drawing or painting "by hand" to produce this artwork. All you need is a computer program and a general concept. The computer algorithms do the rest. Once finished, you can email the file to a giclee printer and - voila! Instant art without ever having to dip a brush into paint.

Does this work compete with fine artists? Of course it does.

My wife was watching a home decorating show which proves the point. The Interor Designer wanted a large abstract for a particular wall to pick up specific fabric colors in the room.

Instead of shopping galleries for just the right print, the TV cameras followed the designer to a digital artist's studio. Together, the interior design and graphic artist generated an abstract piece that matched the sofa. It took less than an hour to create. Sigh.

I'll end with a funny story my friend told me. He's an "old school," on-the-drawing-board artist who worked for ad agencies. In decades past, ad agencies needed hand-rendered artwork by people like him to present concepts to their clients. But once computer graphics were perfected the ad agencies replaced drawing boards with PCs.

My friend made the switch to computer graphics to survive in his career. Suffice to say he is currently the oldest, gray-hair-est art director in the creative department.

One morning they were preparing a presentation for a big client due to arrive in the afternoon. And, as will happen in Florida during thunderstorms, the power went out.

No electrical power, no computers, no artwork. Heh-heh.

However, my friend was the only person in the art department who could render the drawings they needed by hand just in time for the client presentation.

A small victory for us Dragons.

But the ultimate question is -- will fine artists who create work at the easel eventually become obsolete? Let's have a discussion on this one.