EricTonArts

Unusual artist making unusual art for an unusual world! Where you come to see the unseen.

Artist Statement — Eric Ton

Before asking about my history in art or how I create my images especially those that incorporate AI. I hope you’ll take a moment to read this statement. I am not here to debate or defend my methods; I am simply explaining them for those genuinely interested. I have been transparent about my use of AI since the day I began exploring it. If the idea bothers you, feel free to move on. My work, the joy of creating, and the support of those who enjoy it will continue regardless.

Who I Am

I have been a working artist for more than 45+ years. My foundation is traditional: illustration, figure drawing, design, and painting, I also studied between my BFA and MFA at the American Academy of Art. I trained extensively in drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, and art history. Later, I became a self-taught digital artist, mastering Photoshop and fractal art (primarily Mandelbulb 3D). I exhibited my first work, in a one man show, at 22 and spent 15 years as an art instructor and associate professor of art, teaching studio courses, photography, Photoshop, color theory painting, design, figure drawing, and art history.

My career has included design, Gallery and museum shows, management in the art retail world, teaching, relentless creation across mediums and a stint in security. I have made art continuously throughout my adult life because I have to. Making things is part of who I am.

My Practice Today

Digitally, every piece I make begins with an original work: a fractal, a photomontage, a Photoshop composition, my photography, traditional art, or a hybrid of these. Much of my AI assisted work uses custom models trained on my own art, allowing me to alter my images using the visual language I developed over decades. AI is one tool among many, not the engine of my creativity. Without the underlying original image, my prompts would be meaningless.

My process is intensive and highly organized. I work across two computers generating fractals on one, editing on another and maintain vast libraries of self-created assets built over more than a decade. Many images take 3–12 hours or more, with extensive post-AI work in Photoshop: refining color, light, corrections, and composition. Photoshop’s generative tools assist small areas, much like any other editing feature, but they do not replace artistic judgment.

Why I Explore AI

I am not that interested in “pure AI art.” I am interested in how image-to-image AI can expand the creative possibilities of an original artwork. Like every tool paint, photography, charcoal, a brush, or a stylus AI is only as meaningful as the human using it. Mistakes and unexpected outcomes often open new artistic directions, much like accidents in traditional media.

I have no interest, nor do I support, the using names of contemporary working artists as prompts, nor do I rely on historical names for style. I rely on art periods, references to time, and my own visual vocabulary. My experience with AI is part exploration, part therapy, part forward-looking curiosity. It is not a replacement for the decades of training, discipline, and imagination that shape my work.

AI in the Larger Art World

AI art is no longer a fringe idea it exists within major institutions and academic programs:

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has exhibited some of the leading and most innovative AI artists in the world.

The Mauritshuis Museum displayed A Girl with Glowing Earrings an AI-assisted reinterpretation of Girl with a Pearl Earring selected from thousands of submissions during the Vermeer loan.

Leading art schools now offer AI-integrated programs, courses, or degrees here are just a few:

CalArts

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

University College London (UCL) & Royal College of Art (RCA) (Centre for Creative AI)

University of Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), which also offers one of the first undergraduate AI degrees

AI is becoming a standard part of the digital artist’s toolbox especially now that it is integrated directly into Photoshop.

My Philosophy

Art does not come from a tool. It comes from the mind and heart behind it. A brush, a camera, clay, software, or AI is only a vehicle for imagination. My goal has always been to create images that feel unique sometimes serious, sometimes playful all part of the same creative drive.

For me, art is a seven-day-a-week life. It fills my days, especially now, with my family gone except for Chibi, my cat and companion. Exploring new mediums keeps me present, curious, and grounded.

Some will dislike my methods or my art. That is perfectly fine. I am no longer responding to attacks, debates, or attempts to provoke me. I create for those who enjoy the work, not for those who police tools they barely understand.

On Sharing, Theft, and Community

Because my work is frequently stolen online, I primarily share on Facebook, DeviantArt, and now X where I can better maintain control. I do not allow links to drug sellers or self-promotion on my page, though I enjoy seeing followers’ art in replies. Your shares, likes, comments, and follows help my work reach new audiences this is not for validation, but visibility.

Final Thoughts

I have explored fractal art, painting, digital art, photography, and now AI each expanding my ability to build worlds and invite viewers into them. AI will evolve, and trained artists will shape how it is used. It will not replace creativity; it will amplify it for those willing to engage with it thoughtfully.

Above all, I hope viewers walk away thinking:

“I’ve never seen anything quite like that.”

That is the heart of what I strive for, uniqueness.

My work can be seen and ordered at Eye Candy Gallery  https://eye-candy-gallery.com/eric-ton  275 NE Broad Street Southern Pines, NC open: Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 910-246-2266

I can be found on Facebook here:

www.facebook.com/ericton2

Sale and commissions are available contact: Eric A. Ton eton@nc.rr.com

The works contained in my galleries are covered by copyright agreement. All rights reserved. My work may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission. Works do not belong to the public domain. © Eric A. Ton - EccoArts - Eric Ton Arts