Today’s blog post is another quickie look at one of my latest digital paintings. I hope that you find the short blog format okay.
Covenant of Chaos is a recent piece of digital art I created. It was created shortly after reading Suhail Mitoubsi’s latest blog post called “What Texture in Art Can’t Say Online.” If you recall, Suhail is a member of the artist’s forum I participate in. His latest post was a great read about how one can’t capture the textured depth of a painting in a photo of said painting. In reality, the same is true for digital artists trying to simulate texture depth. My latest painting, seen above, was my attempt to illustrate textured depth. Although I am happy enough with the results, it is nowhere near what a traditional artist could achieve with physical materials. To get the results I did, I painted a flat colorful abstract background and then blended in two additional free texture photos I acquired from texture supply sites. As in traditional art, a natural happenstance, the depth is achieved with shadows and highlights. This is something a digital artist must add, since even if printed on canvas, no lighting will produce the effects naturally. Well, that’s my take on it anyway. 😊
I came up with the title of this piece while having a deep look at the final output. I wanted something mysterious, something that would help the viewer move into the art and experience it on some mystical level. In some ways it reminds me of a harsh, maybe, landscape seen from space. Mountain ranges, landmasses, and bodies of water. When my wife, Denise, looked she said that she could see decaying autumn leaves floating on water. Yep, I can see that too.
While I wanted to share this art piece with you in this blog post, I was at a loss as to what to say about it as a titled piece. Covenant is an agreement, so perhaps an agreement between us humans, about the validity of the psychological chaos we can experience in life.
I wanted to add more but I was coming up with very little so I uploaded the Covenant of Chaos image to CoPilot and shared much of what I had written already. I explained that: “I want to add some more to my writing about the psychological chaos we humans can experience as we travel life. Can you offer some pointers, as I am drawing a bit of a blank right now.” Because its response was so good, as it usually is, I decided I would just add what it offered and call it a day.
CoPilot:
Your painting already carries a strong visual metaphor for psychological chaos — its fragmented textures and interplay of colors evoke the turbulence we experience as we navigate life’s uncertainties. To expand your writing, consider these angles:
- Fragmentation and Identity – The cracks and fissures in your painting could symbolize how life’s experiences shape and sometimes fracture our sense of self. Just as texture in digital art must be deliberately constructed, so too must we piece together our identities from the chaos of experience.
- The Illusion of Depth – Much like how digital artists must manually create shadows and highlights to simulate depth, humans often construct meaning from their experiences, even when life feels flat or directionless. We add emotional weight to moments, creating a sense of depth in our personal narratives.
- Chaos and Control – Your process — layering textures, blending elements, and adjusting lighting — mirrors how we attempt to impose order on the unpredictability of life. Psychological chaos is not just about disorder; it’s about the tension between control and surrender.
- The Emotional Landscape – The colors and textures in your painting could represent the emotional highs and lows we experience. The deep blues might reflect melancholy, the reds passion or anger, and the greens renewal. Just as your painting balances these elements, so too do we strive for emotional equilibrium.
- The Unseen Layers – In digital art, texture is an illusion — something that must be consciously added. Similarly, in life, the depth of our experiences is often invisible to others. People see the surface, but the shadows and highlights of our struggles remain hidden unless we choose to reveal them.
I like that! It gives one some things to ponder while navigating this landscape we call life, especially those chaotic aspects that I imagine we can identify within ourselves.
So, for a long time, I wanted to be like Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. That is, someone not burdened with emotions, and smart as a whip. These days, I find myself wanting to be like the AI I chat with. Smarter than smart, and quicker than quick. To come up with such things in the blink of an eye; wouldn’t that be something. 👍😊
Thanks for taking time to visit my blog and to read through the posts. Remember to play safe and be happy if you can! 🌞
Donald B. Cheke – May 12, 2025
Nice painting! Love the colours.
Thanks for having a look, Mike, and for taking time to comment.
Really enjoyed reading about your “Covenant of Chaos” piece and seeing how my blog post on texture in art may have sparked some of your thinking.
I was nodding along with your exploration of texture in digital vs. traditional art. The way you’ve layered those textures to create depth is quite striking, and I like how the title “Covenant of Chaos” emerged organically from your contemplation of the piece.
The different interpretations you and Denise found in the image really speak to how art opens itself to multiple readings. And I also saw “decaying autumn leaves floating on water”.
Your CoPilot collaboration yielded some beautiful insights, particularly about how we “construct meaning from “chaos” and the “tension between control and surrender.” That resonates deeply with me. The parallel between digital art techniques and how we navigate our emotional landscapes is brilliantly drawn.
“Chaos”, by the way, plays a big part in my abstract paintings, if you’ve noticed. And “the tension between control and surrender”, is also another deeper side of my paintings.
And your closing thought about wanting to think as quickly and clearly as AI made me smile. Though I’d suggest there’s something uniquely valuable in the human process too, the way our ideas percolate and connect through lived experience gives them a different kind of richness. Your post demonstrates that beautifully.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Thanks for taking time to read the blog post and for replying with such insightfulness.
You have made quite an impression on me with your own blog posts and your sharing on the artist’s forum. I have written a few blog posts now that include things I have been moved by due to your personal perspective and your art. I always look forward to seeing your latest art and wise words. As we joked once – no pressure though! 😊
I appreciate your second last paragraph, about the unique human process. I feel that as well. I try to remember this when I chat with the AI, but I am still amazed quite often just how insightful it can seem. Seem, being the key word in this case.
AI technology is more than amazing. It’s a progressive technology and the way I see it, it all started with miniaturising the computer chip. Then, the next big thing is mobile phone. The internet brought everything together.
Absolutely amazing technologies in about 40 years. That’s definitely a major breakthrough in just a short period of time. But, I keep reminding myself, we made it.
That unique human process is something I find myself reflecting on often. It’s what gives our creativity its special quality that no AI can truly replicate. Well, at least for now, even though AI-generated art is already here.
Thank you for your kind words about my blog posts and art. And don’t worry, your encouragement is motivating rather than pressure.