Mike O’Keeffe

One of my fondest memories in birding was finding a Firecrest among the rocks and ivy at Coomeenoole, a little gully at the very western tip of the Dingle peninsula, Kerry. It prompted this portrait for an exhibition titled ‘the Birds of Kerry’ nearly 30 years ago. Brought to life by GROK imagine

My pen and ink portrait of European Storm-petrels brought to life by GROK imagine

My sketch of a Meadow Pipit feeding a Cuckoo chick brought to life by GROK imagine

When I created this pen and ink portrait or a White-tailed Eagle in 1996 for a ‘Birds of Kerry’ art exhibition the species was long extinct in Ireland. Thankfully these birds have been reintroduced and are doing well. Portrait is brought to life by Grok imagine.

Original

Reed Buntings waking up and shaking off their slumber at a winter roost near where I grew up in Listowel, Co Kerry. This is one of my earliest and most prized paintings. Here it is brought to life by GROK imagine

The pale lemon yellow rump band and bright yellow central crown stripe separate Pallas’s from the ‘5 striped’ Yellow-browed Warbler

This is the time of year for ‘7 striped sprite’ or the tiny Pallas’s Warbler to reach Irish shores. This painting hangs on our landing at home. Here it is brought to life by GROK imagine

Manages some photos later that morning

I found an Isabelline Shrike on Toe Head, Cork in Oct 2016. It was just before sunrise and the bird was largely in silhouette. Took a while to register the species. The moment is firmly etched in my mind so I painted it as best I could. GROK imagine helps bring the memory more vividly to life.

Commission of wild sky at sunset overlooking Dursey Sound, Beara peninsula, West Cork. A male Wheatear has a front row seat. My painting brought to life by GROK Imagine. Hard to beat a sunset in the west of Ireland

Here is the original

This Common Redstart portrait sits in a study in Germany. They breed in the garden and are eagerly awaited each spring, Playfully brought to life by GROK imagine

I painted this Red-headed Weaver construction site as a housewarming gift for my sister and her husband. Without context or prompt GROK imagine has brought the painting to life and captured the mania of moving in quite aptly I thought.

My simple Hummingbird painting brought stunningly to life by Grok Imagine

Unfortunately in this version Grok gave the bird two tails! On close inspection many AI generated videos have these weird ‘hallucinations’ which is an interesting artifact of the pattern-prediction process. These will become less common as models mature.

With the right prompts I was able to convey this scene to GROK Imagine as I had recalled it. My painting of Ireland’s first Common Yellowthroat found by Paul Archer at Loop Head lighthouse, Oct 2003. The bird spent two days scurrying mouse-like in the low grass around the lighthouse compound.

Warning - very rough seas! Though apparently conditions for landing on Cape Clear to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker were atrocious! Imm female, found by Denis Weir Oct 1988 - it remains the only Irish Record. My painting has been brought to life by Grok Imagine with the help of lots of context.

The most extraordinary 5 mins in Irish birding folklore. Oct 1990, Cape Clear warden Dave Bird located a Swainson’s Thrush at the Post Office garden, followed moments later by a Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler - the then 3rd and 2nd Irish records respectively. Grok imagine brought my painting to life!

The scene depicted is Dingle Harbour, Co Kerry. Elegant Tern with Sandwich Tern found by Ed Carty and the late Frank King, October 2002.

I had to flip the image horizontally because Grok kept giving me sun rise rather than sunset. For anyone who knows Dursey this perspective is more correct for sunrise 😀

Finder of that bird was Anthony McGeehan

My painting of Ireland’s first Red-flanked Bluetail found by Brendan Finch on Dursey Island, Co Cork November 2009, brought to life by GROK imagine.

That was Sept 2019 with the late Steve Wing. Photo of Steve by @Glengarrifwood

When I created this title page for a talk I gave for Cape Clear bird observatory 60th anniversary celebration I had no idea AI might create something like this and open up so many new opportunities to consider. For creators this is truly game changing technology. Made using GROK Imagine.

GROK imagining my painting come to life of a Kingfisher fishing in calm water

GROK imagined my painting come to life depicting Rufous Bush Robin in the Escallonia garden Cape Clear April 1968

GROK imagined by painting brought to life, depicting an adult male Rock Thrush from Port Oriel, Co Louth May 1974 found by Jim Dowdall and Jim Fitzharris