Beachcombing Prehistoric Oceans

As much as I love my work, I believe it’s important to set aside time to unwind and recharge. Growing up near Cincinnati, OH I discovered that I live in a beachfront house—a beachfront house with a view of a 450-million-year-old ocean called the Ordovician Sea. Just below the surface of my backyard are countless layers of sedimentary rock like shale and limestone which contain a treasure-trove of fossils like brachiopods, bryozoans, bivalves, and my personal favorite—trilobites. In this post I want to share with you how the adventure of fossil hunting has become for me a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life and an opportunity to discover something really special.

My Journey into the World of Natural Wonders

It’s funny how certain hobbies and interests stick with you from childhood. I vividly remember trips to the Cincinnati Museum Center when I was a boy. They had a place called “Nature’s Trading Post” where you could bring in objects you’d found in nature—rocks, shells, even feathers—and exchange them for points. The points you earned could be used to “buy” captivating natural treasures like owl pellets, fossils, and even dried pieces of hornets’ nests.

Cincinnati Museum Center, Union Terminal - “Nature’s Trading Post”

The museum’s exhibits were fascinating and being able to bring home something similar made me feel immersed in the mystery of discovering the natural world. This fascination deepened during my grade school years when we got to dissect owl pellets in science class. If you’ve ever done this, you know what I’m talking about: unwrapping a soft natural casing to find tiny intact mouse bones and skeletal remains as if they were miniature museum artifacts specially prepared just for you.

From Seashells to Fossils: How Shell Hunting Sparked My Love for Nature's Beauty

As a teenager, we would take family vacations in Oak Island, NC. That’s when I was introduced to shell hunting. I remember my uncle Steve describing shell hunting before the trip and me being excited about it before we even got there. But when I stepped on the sandy shores and heard the waves for the first time, I soon realized that the reality of shell hunting was even better than what I had imagined.

Getting up early with the sunrise and “stooping” to find these natural treasures was a captivating experience. These beautiful shells didn’t cost anything. I loved the idea that if I paid close enough attention, I could find one-of-a-kind treasures from the depths of the sea. The seemingly endless diversity of natural designs and colors of the shells captivated me. I enjoyed the reward of sharpening my ability to see, to pay attention to every detail, and make discoveries that were waiting for me.

2x2” Sea Shell paintings collection I did for Art Academy of Cincinnati’s Annual “Minumentals” Exhibit, Acrylic on Canvas (2017)

Over the years, my love for shell hunting deepened, and I began collecting seashells of all kinds and from various trips to the ocean. One of the most memorable trips was when my wife and I visited Sanibel Island, the “Seashell Capital of the World”, during our honeymoon. We spent hours walking along its beautiful shores and wading into warm ocean waves, eagerly searching for unique treasures. The experience was unforgettable, and it became a special part of our journey together. Today, I have a lighted curio cabinet in our house dedicated to my ever-growing collection. Each shell represents a cherished memory, a place, or a moment of discovery, and this passion has remained a meaningful part of my life.

The Trilobite Discovery: How One Fossil Ignited My Passion for Fossil Hunting

My first experiences of fossil hunting didn’t captivate me as much as shell hunting did. At the time I was younger, and the brightly colored appearance and comprehensible lives of the shells were easier to appreciate and seemed more exciting. However, as I grew older, my understanding and appreciation for fossils began to deepen. As my interest in reading and exploring books and museums grew, I began to more fully grasp that these ancient objects weren’t just dull grey rocks, but artifacts of real creatures that had lived millions of years ago. As a child, I often found fossilized shells like brachiopods during family outings to Caesar Creek State Park (a local spot for fossil hunting in Ohio) but I never stumbled upon a trilobite, the elusive fossil I had always dreamed of discovering.

That all changed in the fall of 2023 when I found my first trilobite. My wife and I took a trip to Caesar Creek State Park on September 24, 2023. For the first few hours it was the same as childhood trips: small brachiopods in abundance (a clam-looking marine animal with two hinged shells). As the day drew to a close and the sun began to set, I finally released my desperate pursuit of the elusive trilobite. I shifted my focus, embracing the search with the same sense of joy and curiosity I had when hunting for shells by the ocean. I began to scan my surroundings with a more detailed, patient eye, savoring the process rather than fixating on the outcome. This meticulous observation of nature felt like stepping into an entirely new realm of wonder. Then, when I least expected it, nestled among a jumble of dirt, twigs, and other indistinct natural debris, I spotted it—a tiny, perfectly preserved trilobite, curled up as if frozen in time. It was a moment that made me realize something I never thought possible—I could actually discover a trilobite.

Stills taken from a video I filmed of my first trilobite on the day of the discovery

Unearthing More Than Fossils

After finding the trilobite, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had uncovered more than just a fossil; I had unearthed a connection to the deep, ancient past. The experience stayed with me in the days that followed. I later spoke with a worker at the Cincinnati Museum Center, where I was viewing an exhibit about fossils, and he shared his thoughts on the trilobite’s origins. He speculated that it might have been swept away by a sudden avalanche of sediment on the ocean floor, preserving it in a curled form as part of an instinctual defense mechanism. This theory struck me profoundly, giving me a vivid image of the creature’s final moments. I felt a surprising sense of familiarity with the trilobite, as if it were a long-lost pet, patiently waiting for me to find it.

That discovery ignited a deeper bond with the world of fossils. Shortly afterward, I learned about Trammel Fossil Park in Ohio and decided to pay it a visit. It was there that I met some experienced fossil hunters, whose passion for their craft was infectious. They took the time to teach me their techniques, share stories from their own adventures, and encourage me to connect with the growing community of fossil enthusiasts online. I joined local Facebook groups and began interacting with others who shared this rare interest. The exchange of knowledge and camaraderie with these fellow hunters further fueled my fascination.

Signpost of information about fossils at Trammel Fossil Park, Sharonville, OH

Fossil hunting, for me, has evolved from a solitary pastime into something that still feels personal, yet more connected—a way to step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and immerse myself in a shared world of discovery. It’s become a peaceful escape, a way to clear my mind, and a chance to feel connected to something far older than myself. Every new fossil I uncover is a reminder of the mysteries of life, and the sense of wonder that nature continues to offer. What began as a childhood curiosity has grown into a lifelong pursuit, one that I know will continue to surprise me for years to come.

Whether it’s shell hunting, fossil hunting, or another pastime, we all have experiences that help us unwind and reflect, moments that draw us out of ourselves and into a deeper wonder and appreciation for life and the world around us. I’d love to hear about the passions or hobbies that spark your sense of wonder and help you unwind. If you share my love for discovery, feel free to share this post with others who might enjoy it too! Until next time, God bless.

My take on AI as an artist so far..

From an artistic standpoint there has been an age-old struggle for the artist to show the world the importance of art. Many events in history have seemingly threatened the understanding of and respect for visual art: perhaps the most notable of which being the invention of the camera and the dawn of photography. However, despite challenges like these, we as artists have managed to survive and maintain our identity even when the quest to do so has not always been easy.

Is AI a tool that enables us to quickly ideate and increase our productivity? Or is it a tool that satisfies a need for our would-be clients, and they therefore no longer seek our professional services and goods? For those whose livelihood depends on art-making (and by nature of the butterfly effect for the world at large) these are concerns of great consequence with wide-ranging implications. Through my own artistic experience of AI I hope to shed light on these pertinent questions.

To do that, let’s rewind time a little …

Over the past year AI has surged into the world’s attention, but my first exposure to this appearance occurred a few years before via the channel of a well-known Youtuber, Piximperfect and his introduction of a program called Dalle-2. He demonstrated AI’s ability to generate an image simply by inputting text. Nowadays almost everyone is familiar with this technology, but just a few years ago it was something relatively new. My first reaction was excitement at the possibilities this could bring to the field of art.

Following this find, I dabbled with AI using free programs. I reveled in the new discovery, letting my imagination run wild and testing the potential of AI, but after a few weeks of fervent interest I moved on.

In the weeks and months that followed I began to ponder the underlying question in the minds of most people: about whether or not AI could bring negative outcomes along with its potential for offering something good. Surely there is some good that the technology of AI could offer the world if it were used correctly, and in light of that, I decided to remain open to the viewpoint that its potential for bad should not equate to a one-sided stance against its usage without an open-minded consideration of the matter.

I renewed my Photoshop membership for a print illustration project in the summer of 2023. I had been using Procreate on the iPad for most projects, but this particular project required more screen real estate and pen pressure, so I dusted off my Cintiq and plugged it in. During that time Adobe had a Beta out which implemented their take on AI, offering the ability to generate content directly inside the Photoshop workspace. They also offered a similar tool for generating content from text in their Adobe Express platform.

Both of these tools were in my mind far more impressive than Dalle-2 (albeit my experience of Dalle-2 occurred at least a year before my experience of Adobe’s tools). The results yielded by Adobe were generally smoother and more realistic, and from these experiences I began to recognize the true artistic potential of AI.

Like with many things in life, the potential bad or potential good of any thing depends on how it is used by people, and on the matter of AI it seems to be a societal development that is here to stay. In that respect it’s our duty as a civilization to make ethical and moral use of this new tool. That is to say: if it is here to stay even if some of us do not use it, others certainly will use it, and we therefore have a say in its development. As an artist, I believe it is especially important to promote a good and ethical use of AI.

That raises a philosophical angle that could open up a broader discussion outside the scope of this blog post, but in short: most people would agree that the basic definition of a tool is something that is used to carry out a function, and not the other way around: the function serving the tool or being obscured by the tool. In that way it’s important to maintain everything in its proper order and to exercise moderation.

I certainly don’t want to focus on the negative uses of AI, but already some people have used it to trick others into believing something that isn’t true. In the art world an example of this would be a content creator who generates a portrait painting using AI and shares it on social media claiming to have painted it by hand in order to gain a following of people who have a genuine interest in original art. I think occurrences like that really show why it’s important that the world as a whole interacts with the technology of AI with a healthy dose of awareness and caution.

In a nutshell there we have the risk of AI, as well as guidelines to bring with us like a compass as we travel into the era of AI in order to use it correctly. What are your thoughts when you ponder the topic of AI in relation to the world of art and how do you see AI playing out in the art historical context? Share this blog along with your thoughts via your favorite platform.

Until next time, May God bless you and keep you.