How Donkeys Found Their Way into the GaffGaff Universe

Sometimes the origins of an artwork are surprisingly simple. In this case, it began with two old pilgrims looking for a donkey.

Where do the ideas for my images come from, and why have horses, mules, and donkeys become such an important part of the GaffGaff universe?

The answer is probably a combination of coincidence, experience, new technology and, above all, the joy of creating.

The donkeys were among the first to make me realise what could happen when decades of experience as an image-maker met a completely new set of tools. It reminded me of the smell of freshly cut sawdust in a workshop. That scent was irresistible, and before long I was back at work creating images again.

The story began in Galicia, Spain, where I was living at the time.

Swedish musician Per-Olov Sahl and an old friend had decided to become pilgrims. Their plan was somewhat unusual. They would first visit me on the Galician coast and then walk in the opposite direction of the traditional pilgrimage route, via Santiago de Compostela and eventually towards Pamplona.

For the journey, they had the romantic idea of buying or renting a donkey.

They asked whether I could help them find a strong but gentle representative of the species. I advised them to abandon the idea. Travelling hundreds of kilometres with a donkey might sound wonderful, but the practical reality could be rather different.

Instead, I suggested something else.

My wife, Grace, could create a Facebook page for their adventure, Glada Bohemer (Happy Bohemians), and I would make the profile image.

A donkey accompanied by wine and a guitar seemed the obvious choice.

At the time, I had only recently begun experimenting with OpenArt and discovering how AI could become another tool in the image-making process. I gradually learned how to push it in directions that produced results far beyond what I had initially expected.

By the time the profile image was finished, I had accumulated a considerable amount of material featuring horses, mules and donkeys.

I continued working with it.

What had begun as a playful image for two travelling friends slowly developed into something more ambitious. Eventually, some of the images reached the artistic level I had been searching for and became a small series:

Horses, Mules, Donkeys and Wine.

The animals have remained part of the GaffGaff universe ever since.

So where do ideas come from?

Sometimes from years of experience. Sometimes from new technology. Sometimes from coincidence.

And sometimes they begin with two old pilgrims asking if you can help them find a donkey.

- Eldar Einarson