It started on Monday night, February 16th.
Up pops a message from one of my elementary school buddies – one with whom I keep in loose, but regular, contact.
“Look at the treasure I just found!” she texted.
Directly underneath her brief text was this picture:
My mother is on the far left and I am on the far right. My friend’s mom and my friend are in the middle.
I have no recollection of when this picture was snapped or what the occasion was, but the fact that she sent it to me unbeknownst that it was on the eve of my dead mother’s 99th birthday was not lost on me,
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE were the first two words entering my brain upon awakening the next morning on February 17th. Immediately I inquired of AI what it surmised was going on in this picture.
Here is what AI said:
It looks like a warm, candid moment of four women sitting together at a restaurant table…The setting feels cozy and vintage…They appear to be enjoying a meal or coffee together—Their hairstyles and clothing suggest the photo may be from the 1980s or early 1990s. The overall feeling is cheerful and affectionate, like a friends’ lunch or a family gathering
“Well,” I surmised, “at least I have an approximate time frame for the picture but not much else that wasn’t apparent upon viewing.
I was already feeling kinda strange that day. February 17 – it was the anniversary of both my mother’s birth and her death. (Yes, you read that right – she died on her 91st birthday.)
I immediately gravitated to the weirdest painting my mother had ever done. It was hanging in a seldom used room of my house,
I decided to access AI again. I snapped a picture of the painting and copied and pasted it into AI.
“What was the artist thinking?” I asked AI.
Here’s what AI had to say:
The painting you’ve shared evokes a deep emotional response and invites multiple interpretations.
The faces, obscured by dark strokes, may symbolize feelings of isolation or being lost. The way they are partially hidden could represent the struggle to connect with others.
The somber expressions of the faces may indicate a moment of introspection, where the artist is contemplating her own feelings or experiences.
To distract myself from the existential angst surging through my body after digesting AI’s response, I hunted up an overly large canvas hanging prominently in my dining room – a painting representative of 99 per cent of my mother’s creations.
Here’s what AI said:
The painting you’ve shared presents a vibrant bouquet of flowers, and it likely reflects a range of thoughts and emotions from the artist.
The artist, inspired by the natural beauty of flowers, uses them as a symbol of joy, life, and vibrancy. The explosion of colors signifies the richness of nature and her appreciation of its aesthetic qualities.
Flowers often carry various meanings, such as love, growth, and renewal – reflecting the artist’s personal experiences or feelings about relationships.
The soft color palette and gentle brush strokes create a calming atmosphere.
The diverse use of colors—pinks, whites, yellows, and greens—indicates a celebration of life and nature – contributing to an overall sense of harmony and an appreciation for both the simplicity and complexity of life.
The vertical orientation symbolizes growth and aspiration, encouraging a sense of upward movement.
My last question to AI was this: What feelings are evoked by my mother’s two paintings?
AI’s response: A dichotomy of emotions, suggesting an internal battle between light (hope, clarity) and darkness (despair, confusion).
All I can say is “Mom, you were right.”
I am my mother’s daughter.
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
JEAN JACKET OF THE WEEK:
ARTIST MARILYN SILVERMAN MODELING HER VERY NEWEST JEAN JACKET SENSATION FOR FUNKY CREATIONS IN HONOR OF VALENTINE’S DAY.