Myths and Fantasies - Elaine Ashburn
It all began at the Recycling Center in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
I noticed people leaving large objects—like old streetlamps and antique velvet couches—outside the recycling bins. I was fascinated—to me they were beautiful objects that needed to be preserved. Since I couldn’t bring them home, I started taking pictures of everything I found: galoshes, angels, glass bottles, tattered tarot cards and dusty jewelry. I was fixated and went back week after week for more.
I seemed to have developed an affinity for junk.
An advertising art director by trade, my Photoshop abilities were very good at the time, so I started making collages. My first few attempts lacked personality, but I was determined to turn these finds into art. Using my art school skills, the art history classes I snoozed through, and anything else I could conjure up, I stuck with it. Little by little, I discovered a pattern of interpretation and Digital Découpage was born.
Since early 2022, I've been using AI technologies to enhance my work. By combining traditional art techniques with AI, my work has taken on a new dimension and the stories they tell are thought-provoking and deeply meaningful to viewers.
I noticed people leaving large objects—like old streetlamps and antique velvet couches—outside the recycling bins. I was fascinated—to me they were beautiful objects that needed to be preserved. Since I couldn’t bring them home, I started taking pictures of everything I found: galoshes, angels, glass bottles, tattered tarot cards and dusty jewelry. I was fixated and went back week after week for more.
I seemed to have developed an affinity for junk.
An advertising art director by trade, my Photoshop abilities were very good at the time, so I started making collages. My first few attempts lacked personality, but I was determined to turn these finds into art. Using my art school skills, the art history classes I snoozed through, and anything else I could conjure up, I stuck with it. Little by little, I discovered a pattern of interpretation and Digital Découpage was born.
Since early 2022, I've been using AI technologies to enhance my work. By combining traditional art techniques with AI, my work has taken on a new dimension and the stories they tell are thought-provoking and deeply meaningful to viewers.
