In the early 21st century, Texas artist DeltaSauce grew up as a child who could spend hours in front of magazine shelves, flipping through glossy magazines filled with interior design layouts and bold cover art, finding unexpected inspiration in curated chaos.
DeltaSauce's father was a carpenter who built practical beauty from scratch. Therefore, he learned to view design as art and storytelling, a theme that now runs through his entire career.
At the 2024 Marfa art district weekend, DeltaSauce showcased his first installation artwork, a set of vintage CRT displays, which once were the focal point of living rooms in the 1990s. The artist repurposed these still-powered items as canvases for his AI works.
At an event hosted by White Walls, an application that turns your Apple TV into a rotating digital art gallery showcased images created by generation tools like Stable Diffusion and MidJourney on six screens of Panasonic and Sony cubes.
By closely observing DeltaSauce's work, you will immediately recognize his influences. His work embodies the new surrealism of Iowa-born painter Jim Buckels, the vivid tranquility of British painter David Hockney, and the cinematic atmosphere of Edward Hopper.
We all know that the American realist painter's work from 1942 (Nighthawks) is one of his iconic pieces. Based on these iconic works, DeltaSauce created almost equally familiar pieces using AI but redefined the context for our times.
This interview took place in the lounge of Thunderbird Marfa during the Marfa art district weekend, where DeltaSauce reflected on his artistic journey, his first installation artwork, and how he reimagines past aesthetics using artificial intelligence.
Note: This record has been edited for conciseness and clarity.
OpenSea: Is there a specific moment or project that inspired you to explore generative art?
DeltaSauce: I started getting into AI art because my friend told me I could try putting my photography into generative AI art models and just go wild. Previously, I loved photography, and my friend encouraged me to try it. I fell in love with the process; it’s about the endless possibilities I can create. I delved deep into it and never looked back since.
OpenSea: Can you tell us what tools or platforms you use?
DeltaSauce: I use a lot of tools, like Stable Diffusion and MidJourney. For upgrades, I love Magnific; they are fantastic. I like to incorporate as many tools into my process as possible because I don't want to limit myself. I want to have a workflow between different models rather than sticking to just one.
OpenSea: How do your personal experiences, culture, and background influence your work?
DeltaSauce: My personal experiences are rooted in memories from the early 90s and early 21st century. Nostalgia plays an important role in my artwork. I love to incorporate elements from the past and blend them with Web3 elements like the Pepe meme. For me, it’s about creating an island of past memories that people can share. We all have this sense of nostalgia, and I want to leverage those collective memories.
OpenSea: What practices or techniques help you get into a creative flow state?
DeltaSauce: To get into a flow state, I looked at a lot of photography from the 70s, 80s, and 90s - it inspired me because I love the past. The inspiration for my latest series 'Issues' comes from old magazine covers, and I grew up looking at magazines.
My mom would leave me in the magazine section while she shopped, and my dad was a carpenter, so I looked at a lot of interior design and furniture magazines. My love for the aesthetics of old-fashioned, elegant magazines inspired me. Modern covers are filled with too much information, but old covers focused on the artwork. I want to bring that feeling back with my 'Issues' series.
OpenSea: How do you determine the parameters that guide your creative process?
DeltaSauce: I focus on the story or narrative I want to tell and the intention and meaning behind it. It's not just about creating beautiful things, but about creating beautiful things with a story and purpose. I want my work to spark conversations. When I'm working on a large series, I think about the story I want to tell and how to expand it to make it meaningful.
OpenSea: Do you find yourself constantly modifying and adjusting your work, or do you know when it's finished?
DeltaSauce: For me, the work never really ends. AI allows for continuous iteration. You can start with a basic idea, explore different areas, like post-processing photography, and if it doesn’t work, you can go back.
I look back at past works and think about what else I could do, but this is all part of the learning process. As an artist, I am always striving, iterating, and learning from what I do to improve future projects.
OpenSea: What brought you to Marfa? What is special about this weekend for you?
DeltaSauce: I came to Marfa because I heard it was a great experience and a good place to meet new friends and make connections. This is my first time here, and I really like it. I definitely want to come back next year.
Here, I can talk more in-depth about my art face-to-face, which is hard to do online. Additionally, I built my first installation here: showcasing my artwork with old CRT TVs, bridging the gap between digital and traditional displays is exciting.
OpenSea: Where can people find you and your work?
DeltaSauce: You can find my work at DeltaSauceArt.com.
DeltaSauce: Thank you for inviting me! This is my first official interview, and I am very grateful.
OpenSea: You did a great job! Thank you for sharing your story.
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