@perfectagala

- How does AI have complemented your vision as an artist?

I’m a painter, photographer, and multimedia artist. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. My projects tend to unfold slowly through construction, research, editing, and long stretches of reflection. That IRL pace feels honest to me as my ideas need time to percolate and evolve. In the history of art, women have always been making but so few have been seen. Gatekeepers have long prioritized male artists, leaving who knows how many women out of the story. In what we do see, women are often muses, not makers. Yet we’ve always been creating and experimenting, innovating and expressing ourselves, with whatever tools we were allowed to use from thread to pencils.

I think about that a lot when I make work. That erasure. That persistence.

AI art, by contrast, moves fast, sometimes too fast. It’s great for quickly testing ideas, but even here, real depth takes time. Finding your voice with these tools is its own kind of slow art. I’ve seen it in the people I follow: the more they create, the more resonance their work holds. Over time, something personal begins to shine through.

Maybe that’s the through-line: whether with paint, video, or pixels - whether centuries ago or right now, making art as a woman is still, in many ways, an act of insisting on presence. I love that so many talented women and artists of all genders are making powerful work with AI. The AI art community has been one of the most welcoming, supportive spaces I’ve experienced. No matter what pronouns you use or where you come from, there’s room to experiment, connect, and be seen.

- Where do you find inspiration?

I'm deeply inspired by the great women of Surrealism - Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Dorothea Tanning, Frida Kahlo, Meret Oppenheim, Toyen, and Leonora Fini whose work cracked open dream spaces and interior worlds. I also look to the few Renaissance women painters whose names we know, Artemisia Gentileschi, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Fede Galizia, Plautilla Nelli, Properzia de’ Rossi, Caterina van Hemessen, and Elisabetta Sirani. All these fabulous artists are reminders of how much was created, often against the odds, and how much more was likely lost.

I love a lot of male artists also, but the list will be too long. I really admire artists like Mat Collishaw, who are weaving AI into their work in thoughtful, resonant ways. His ability to combine technology with historical and emotional depth feels like a blueprint for how these tools can expand, rather than replace, our creative voices.

- Your style is very particular, what are the topics you like to explore the most?

I make art about myth, identity, and the hidden narratives inside the history of art. I’m drawn to beauty and its contradictions and how aesthetics are shaped, framed, cropped, and suggested rather than declared. I explore interiority, especially the emotional and psychological landscapes that sit just beneath the surface which is why I love surrealism. My work often reflects on how women have been seen and unseen through time, and how we shape our own image in response.

I recently watched Jaws, made 50 years ago, and an interview with Spielberg where he talked about how the mechanical shark often wouldn’t work. Because of that, he had to suggest the shark’s presence instead of showing it outright and in the end, that made the film more powerful. That idea really stuck with me.

So much of what I love in art whether in painting, photography, AI, or storytelling is in the suggestion, the framing, the restraint. The things you don’t fully show can hold the most tension, emotion, and mystery. Sometimes, the limitations, technical, emotional, and material are what guide you to deeper, more resonant work.

- How does your soul feel when you create?

I love AI art. It gives me an instant creative rush and opens up exciting new possibilities, pushing me to explore ideas in fresh and unexpected ways. But as I continue working, I’ve grown more critical of my creations and I sometimes feel stuck in a creative rut. The initial thrill fades, and while I still love the act of creating, I find myself liking less and less of what I make. Entire folders of unused work pile up.

At the same time, I’m mindful of the environmental impact which makes me feel a bit guilty. I am trying to motivate myself to be more intentional, clearer, and thoughtful about what I create and why.

For me, AI is more than just a tool, it’s a challenge and an inspiration, a new medium that demands patience and persistence. It’s helping me find a deeper, more personal voice in my art.

- Share one of the most beautiful experiences you have had as an artist.

During COVID, I received a grant to create a project that centered around collecting people’s stories. I connected with strangers over Zoom, people I’d never met in person and those conversations became the heart of the work. I made art based on their stories and shared it back with them. It was one of the most meaningful projects I’ve done. One of my collaborators was a sculptor, and I turned his physical work into AR experiences that anyone with a phone could explore. It felt like we all made the project together, as a collective effort despite all being in lockdown.

That experience really shaped how I see art-making. I love collaboration, support, shared ideas, and creative exchange. It’s part of why I’m drawn to the AI art community as you all remind me of that same energy and beauty, collectives, muses, mutual inspiration, and people helping each other grow.

Interview with PerfectaGala by Echoes Magazine, May 2025