Collection Title:

'Uncharted Waters'

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About the Collection:

Although I started drawing/painting from a very early age, I’ve always loved the tech space and ultimately chose to pursue a degree in computer science - after which, I spent fifteen years writing software for a living.  In early 2018, I left the tech space to focus on my art full time but have always dreamed of connecting the two worlds.  The NFT/crypto space has provided the framework I’m using to build that  bridge.

 

'Uncharted Waters' is my first release with Nifty Gateway.  The collection was created using a mix of traditional and digital mediums and is meant to capture my introduction and navigation through the crypto/NFT space as a creator while trying to reflect the collective experience of collectors and observers.  All three pieces (and the variants) are new works in a series I’ve been creating for a few years now called 'Oil and Water' wherein I’ve added graffiti tags to the sails of vintage sailing ships.  In this collection, the tags all relate to the crypto and NFT space.  

 

Each piece represents a chapter of sorts  - 'Embark' (drawn digitally) captures my experience refamiliarizing myself with the underlying technologies and pays homage to the early innovators upon which this new world was built.  'Navigate & Explore' (painted first with five digitally enhanced variants) focuses on the artists and collectors (both known and newly discovered to me) that truly defined the ecosystem and fundamentally shifted the contemporary art paradigm.  'HODL the Course' (drawn digitally and then painted) is a playful commentary on the general mood shift through the troubled waters of a volatile market (e.g., tags suggesting that Judas may have paperhanded Jesus for 30 pieces of silver).  It’s also meant to capture my experience trying to better understand the market as a whole.  

 

The collection as a whole is also meant to start a larger story which subsequent releases will continue...

 

Artwork Included in Part 1 of the Series:

'Embark':

Embark is the first piece completed in the collection and is also the first fully digital piece in my Oil and Water series.  It’s a visual representation of the first chapter in the story of my (and many others) introduction into the crypto/NFT space.  The graffiti on the sails pay homage to the early innovators and technologies upon which the NFT space is built.   

 

'Navigate & Explore':

Navigate & Explore was created using both physical and digital mediums.  The tags, which pay homage to the artists and collectors who have defined the ecosystem and shifted the contemporary art paradigm, were designed digitally and then the piece was painted using oils on canvas.  It’s meant to visually capture the second chapter in my experience with crypto/NFT as a creator while reflecting the shared experience of the outside observer.  The winner of the 1/1 NFT will also receive the original oil painting.

 

'Navigate & Explore' Variants:

There are five special variants of 'Navigate & Explore' created by digitally adding/altering the sails/tags.  Each Variant is unique from the others, and each is an edition of 10.

 

'HODL the Course':

'HODL the Course' is a playful commentary on ecosystem mood and perception using the troubled waters of the allegorical 'Storm on the Sea of Galilee'' as a metaphor for a volatile market.  It’s split between two sails, one representing a calmer more tempered attitude and the other representing a sense of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.  The tags are meant to divide those on the ship and even foreshadow Judas paperhanding Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
 

Rewards for Holders

Information has been hidden in and scattered across the sails of the pieces in this collection.  My second release with Nifty Gateway will include a new 'Map' piece that will provide direction on how to unlock that information and use it to solve the puzzle and redeem rewards for those holding work from both collections (see above for more information).