Longtime Battery Park City resident and artist Marya Triandafellos currently has the colorful panels adorning the fence at Washington Market Park in a series she titled “Happy To See You!”

Each 4-x-5-foot panel were created through digital drawing and the AI process (see below) and solicited as part of the Parks Department’s Art in the Parks program, where artists are given space to hang self-funded work.

“This work celebrates moments of joy through energetic colors and playful forms,” Marya said. “Each image relates a narrative open to individual interpretation.” By pushing AI tools to generate non-representational forms, she curated select pieces using an “ink blot test” creative process.

The panels will be up until July 26.

Work just started on the park, which will be closed until at least the start of August.

So to the AI process, from Marya:
“I created this art through a multi-phased process that includes AI in the early phases in the role of a muse to access my subconscious — similar to the old ink blot test used in psychology. I see this interdisciplinary expertise as an essential part of my practice.

I start by training the AI with my own style of previously created images — more than 100. Next, in the role of a creative director, I prompt it, through many iterations, to create abstract imagery. For this series, that resulted in more than 500 images. In the role of curator, I organize the resulting images into categories. One category resulted in the images in ‘Happy to See You.’

I use each image as an ink blot test and imagine what I see in the abstract forms. Then as a visual artist, I draw the images using commercially available software. I do not use AI to render the final art. I like to draw.”