From the series “The Plants I Kill”, 100% analog and camera-less, this process uses a variation of Cyanotype manipulated with common household ingredients, to create the final prints – each of which is unique and can not be reproduced exactly the same way ever again. The process destroys all the subject matter in the process of making the print, so I opt to use plant matter that I already killed through neglect, in my home and yard for my subjects, giving them a final voice before being composted. The exposures range from hours to days in direct sunlight, which causes some of the plant matter to break down and become physically part of the final print, embedded in or staining parts of the paper as they decompose.
This series was minted as 1/1 NFT and are sold out, all prints have been claimed by the new owners. The next group of prints for this series will drop in April 2023.
A free mint limited to 50 being released on November 1, 2022. This series was created as a reward for my collectors who will get priority access to the shuffle. Any unclaimed NFTs will be made available to the public after the priority claim deadline passes. This series was created by entering the phrase “robot jumping over puddle in the style of Henri Cartier-Bresson” and then exploring an endless amount of variations the AI offered for the initial image result I selected. The images have been cleaned up using Photoshop but are otherwise unaltered. Owners have unlimited personal usage rights, including reproduction in other forms. RJOP #15 comes with a 9×18” print of the above image showing all 50 variations. New gallery page for this project found here.
Collector Snapshot will be taken on October 31 for priority access to this free mint reward shuffle.
On September 22, 2022, the first day of Fall, I began an experimental project utilizing the newly released ARC19 metadata standard. ARC19 uses a clever placeholder code where the URL link for an NFT image usually goes to allow the creator to change the image at will, and indefinitely using notes in the Reserve Address. Although this technology was intended for NFTs used in situations such as game avatars where rewards may unlock certain cosmetic features, I have decided to use it to document the creation of a photographic illustration from start to finish.
State 1 – Blank Canvas
The first mint of this project was a simple blank canvas, where all photographic illustrations start. A blank canvas is waiting to be filled, and this version of the NFT didn’t even last for 24-hours of the project before I updated the State 2 image.
State 1 – Blank Canvas, 7/29/2022
The project began on the first day of fall, September 22, and will be completed on December 19, 2022. Currently, I am in the final few days of this project, the composite has been finalized and printed for exhibition, and all that remains are the release of the final two states; one documenting the physical print, and the other a signed and dated final digital version. I will post a follow up blog with reflections on this project soon after the final day of the project, this Monday. If you are interested in seeing this artwork on the blockchain, use the NFTx link provided.
From Blank Canvas to Final Draft
This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a way to document my artistic process while creating a photographic illustration from start to finish. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
Notice: Because ARC19 is open-ended and can be changed indefinitely, I have set this as a limited run event and pledge no changes will be made to this NFT after the final day of the project on December 19, 2022.
Second State, released 9/22/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
Third State, released 9/24/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 4 9/27/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 5, 10/3/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 6, 10/6/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 7, 10/9/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 8, 10/15/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 9, 10/17/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 10, 10/23/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 11, 10/24/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 12, 10/30/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 13, 11/5/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 14, 11/8/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 15, 11/10/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 16, 11/15/2022. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed. Owners of the NFT have full personal usage rights for current and previous states of this dynamic artwork.
State 18, 12/3/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed.
State 19, 12/8/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed.
State 20, 12/10/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed.
State 21, 12/11/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed.
State 22, 12/13/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed.
State 23, 12/15/22. This dynamic NFT utilizes ARC19 to allow me to change the image indefinitely while storing all of the previous states in the Txn history. I will be using this as a digital sketchpad to explore ideas and works in progress. It could include photography, digital illustration, composites, writing, or one or more of these elements combined at any given time. The artwork may be in progress and unfinished, or completely finished and signed.
This is the unsigned physical print of the final version of “Dynamic Block: Fall 2022”, no future ARC19 updates will be made to this project. The final composite is an abstract self-portrait, inspired by dreams and emotional reactions to certain locations I frequent, and driven by a desire to create a final work with multiple layers and ample opportunities to discover something new even after several viewings. It is divided into two distinct worlds that are ever merging and feeding one another; the world of order and algorithms (the one we inhabit), and the world of imagination and creativity. Without one there can not be the other, much like my own creative process, the world is a balance between the real and what we can imagine into existence in that reality. In this composite, I am peering into the world of imagination and creativity searching for inspiration, and discovering it in droves everywhere I look. This artwork is dedicated to Morris P. Fertig (1947-2022).
Final Versions
Version 1
Version 2
Statement: This is the final version of “Dynamic Block: Fall 2022”, no future ARC19 updates will be made to this project. The final composite is an abstract self-portrait, inspired by dreams and emotional reactions to certain locations I frequent, and driven by a desire to create a final work with multiple layers and ample opportunities to discover something new even after several viewings. It is divided into two distinct worlds that are ever merging and feeding one another; the world of order and algorithms (the one we inhabit), and the world of imagination and creativity. Without one there can not be the other, much like my own creative process, the world is a balance between the real and what we can imagine into existence in that reality. In this composite, I am peering into the world of imagination and creativity searching for inspiration, and discovering it in droves everywhere I look.
I am happy to announce the newly refreshed version of my website! Significant amounts of work had been produced since my last update, requiring me to rethink how the site navigates. The following changes were applied:
NAVIGATION UPDATES:
Galleries are now divided into two groups. “Current Projects” and “Archives”. These classifications are fluid, I may archive a current project just as I may activate an archived one. This way you know where my creative focus currently is with an easy glance.
Added a link to ownership information that details intellectual property ownership and usage rights for NFT owners. Screenshot this page for your records.
GALLERY UPDATES:
Updated all galleries with recent work and details about artworks.
Added galleries for every project I have minted as an NFT and appropriate links in the menu bar. All Art Block NFTs are now somewhere on my website.
Added a Collaboration + Commissions page to share works created in conjunction with other projects and creators, or that were commissioned by community members.
Added a Character Lore details page for the Grocery Store Game.
As I update my various digital items this month I will continue to share them here. The most recent completed update was to my LinkTree profile, which can be found here. Using this service is a great way to manage a large number of associated hyperlinks, depending on what you are looking for the LinkTree should be able to point you in the right direction.
This webpage has been neglected for the past few months, my apologies for that. I will spend time this week getting the galleries and homepage updated with new work and project descriptions. Although all of this information is embedded in each individual NFT, the website is still a great resource to be able to view projects in their entirety without having to navigate through individual images using on-chain marketplaces and viewers and waiting on IPFS loads (sorry, my files can be large and IPFS is not known for speed!).
Moving forward I will be following a systematic method for announcing upcoming projects and drops starting with this blog, then using Twitter broadcasts, and finally dropping on a pre-announced date. I will also begin dropping only at the start and midway points of each month when work is finished. All of this is in an effort to lend more transparency to my drop schedule while also balancing my many life demands to avoid burnout.
The blockchain is an ever changing and evolving space, and the latest addition are NFD (non-fungible-domains). These minted one of a kind digital objects are similar to NFTs, except that they contain smart contracts that reroute address traffic to a details page about the owner. As you can see, it is possible to verify a variety of associated items in one place. However, most importantly it greatly simplifies sending and receiving anything on the blockchain, simply type in my NFD, artblock.algo and the transaction will be sent to my primary creator wallet – progress!
Feel free to see the verified details as well as my linked NFT collection at artblock.algo.xyz
My latest physically-backed artwork has been minted on Dartroom and will drop this Saturday as part of the Algo Photo Club’s virtual gallery opening event! This is a handmade cyanotype print with watercolor pencil.
Keeping with the spirit of Art Block, I really went for it on this one and got outside of my comfort zone. This is the first, and so far only, Art Block NFT that has hand coloring and painting applied directly to the physical print.
This artwork is a cyanotype print with watercolor pencil and acrylic paint on cotton rag paper. All hand-made, original, and one of a kind. Printed on Stonehenge Aqua, 140 lb, 9×12″ sheet. Comes window-matted in an 11×14″ 4-ply museum grade board. The original artwork may be claimed by the NFT owner, until that time it is considered on loan to the creator.
Dropping this weekend on Dartroom, The Invisible Gardener (Dreams #9).
I was gardening, but unlike most days my presence was not felt by the plants or noticed by anyone passing by, indeed this was due to the fact that I was somehow invisible. I seized on the opportunity to not only tend to my own garden, but to also improve my neighbor’s beds as well – all while undetected by any living creature. I spread my Iris bulbs far and wide until I awoke from my slumber, with my gardening chores still unfinished.
Art Block 