How I Used Machine Learning to Inspire Physical Paintings

The end result: an aesthetically interesting image I couldn’t imagine creating from scratch

“Beast Mode Cru”, Abandoned school. Last painting in Shanghai, China (2012). Photo and painting by author.

Since I was 15 years old, I have been painting graffiti under bridges and in abandoned buildings. I grew up in San Francisco when street art was booming, and inspired by the colors and aesthetic, I looked for ways to create art and taught myself to paint. As I got older, I discovered the graffiti communities on Flickr, and began making an effort to meet artists where I lived and share photos of my work online. As Tumblr grew in popularity, the community moved. Then Instagram emerged, and the community moved again.

“Gift”, Photo collection from 2010–2012. All photos taken and painted by author.

In recent years, I haven’t had the same leeway to paint in public. There was a greater cultural acceptance of street art when I lived abroad. Painting on walls…