What is the explanation of your business name/socials handle?

The term “Artifice” comes from Dungeons and Dragons, the tabletop role-playing game. It refers to the class “Artificer”; “Masters of invention, artificers use ingenuity and magic to unlock extraordinary capabilities in objects. They see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and then harnessed in their spells and inventions.”

“Grace” just happens to be my middle name. I personally chose it as a juxtaposition to the word Artifice.

“Graceisajinx” is an inside joke in my family, as I have been very accident-prone my entire life, and I routinely have blamed this on the “jinx” of giving me the middle name “Grace.”

What is your stance on AI Art?

I am vehemently against the use of Generative AI for the creation of any type of art whatsoever. Whether it be writing, music, voice acting, images, videography, or animation, I am against its use. I will continue to advocate for fellow artists and their rights until appropriate regulations are put in place to protect them. I believe the only potentially justified use for Generative AI could be for data analysis/medical research/clerical functions, if used ethically. However, the lack of regulation and the rapid influx of its use by corporations and the general public to justify taking jobs away from people like me is catastrophic for the preservation of the Arts. It is appalling.

Generative AI has been trained, without consent, on independent artists’ works, and the precedent is heartbreaking. It takes jobs away from ordinary people for the simple point of lining billionaires’ pockets. It’s regurgitated slop that we do not need.

“I think AI is sold to us as if it’s the future, but it’s a regurgitation of our collective past, remarketed as the future. And I think that, ultimately, there’s always going to be a human element that people want. And, I don’t know that making things happen, quicker, cheaper, and more optimally, is really conducive to the human spirit and our human collectivism.” ~ Nora Garrett, Script Writer

The use of AI has directly led to horrendous consequences in the environment and the psyche of the general populous. It has caused a major decrease in intellectual thinking/processing, and understanding of ethics.

I will never knowingly or willingly use Artificial Intelligence for my work or personal life.

Why do all your images have weird artifacts/textures to them on your website?

In an effort to prevent AND combat the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence, I have used both Nightshade and Glaze on all my artwork before posting to this website/social media. I do not consent to my artwork being used to train AI in any way, shape, or form.

What is Augmented Reality or AR Art? How does it differ from AI Art?

“Augmented Reality”: The overlay of digital information, such as text, graphics, and images, onto the real world in real-time through a device like a smartphone or specialized glasses.

In this case, I use Augmented Reality to make some of my images come to life with animation, all of which is hand-drawn, without the use of AI. Thanks to the company 8th Wall, a hosting platform for AR projects, I import an animated clip, and through technological wizardry, any smartphone with a link and access to the particular image becomes animated through the camera’s lens.

While 8th Wall does have AI features, I do not incorporate generative AI into the creation of the animation. All the rest of the mechanics are simple coding.

Why is your Augmented Reality Art not working on my phone?

Unfortunately, this could be due to many reasons:

1. Your smartphone’s software needs to be updated

2. Your smartphone is an old model, which may be incompatible with 8th wall

3. Lack of service/User Error

I try my best to do research into troubleshooting my coding on the 8th Wall Platform to be as accessible as possible; however, it is impossible to accommodate every single model of smartphone out there. In particular, 8th wall has the most trouble with Apple products. If you run into any issues with your purchase, please reach out, and I will help troubleshoot as much as possible before issuing a refund.