NFT Creator – Cointelegraph Magazine
With a total art value of $24 million, Trevor Jones is one of the 10 most successful crypto artists worldwide.
Trevor Jones’ journey to crypto stardom started the same way as many crypto noobs: his portfolio went way up, he couldn’t turn a profit, and the price crashed, wiping out his paper gains.
A traditional painter always wanting to explore the intersection of art and technology, Jones experimented with QR code oil paintings in 2012 and delved into AR art in 2013.
But it was his 2017 investment in Bitcoin that sparked deep curiosity about what this new world of crypto and blockchain was all about. After getting a handle on 2018’s crypto winter, Jones turned his attention from crypto trader to crypto template. He says:
“I took that bull run and made a lot of money and lost so much money in 2018. It all went up and everything came crashing down.
“I really fell down the rabbit hole and was completely enthralled by the place and the people. I followed whoever I could on Twitter, the likes of Vitalik Buterin and John McAfee and characters like that. Very quickly I started to have thoughts that this is something I could imagine exploring with my art.”
Crypto art was almost non-existent as a genre in 2018 within traditional art circles, so Jones took it upon himself to rent a commercial gallery to stage a crypto-themed exhibition where he showcased some of his first original crypto art at the Crypto Disruption Exhibition.
“The 12 paintings I did were all inspired by the crypto space, and from the new perspective I came in from, I didn’t know much about it at the time. I focused on some of the characters, for example Satoshi Nakamoto, ideas and themes like the bull and the bear, hodling and riding the wave. It was a bit of me figuring out how to visualize this space through these paintings,” he said.
“I sold almost everything from the exhibition to anonymous collectors around the world where they paid me in Bitcoin and Ethereum. It got really confusing because normally when you go through an art gallery to sell work, you don’t get to meet the collectors for the most part, it it’s all done behind closed doors. You’ll hopefully receive money two to three months later when the gallery pays you.”
“Getting paid immediately was just so eye-opening. A few of the paintings were actually sold before the exhibition even opened. I just posted some pictures on Twitter and someone would reply saying they liked it and how much is it? I would tell them a number and they would just send me some Bitcoin and the sale was complete. It was just the most surreal.”
Oil paintings for NFTs
With a trajectory similar to Josie Bellini’s, from crypto artist first to NFT artist second, Jones recalls April 2019’s Coin Fest in Manchester as a pivotal moment. David Moore of Known Origin tried to explain to him why he should be interested in NFTs.
“From the perspective of a traditional artist who had a very successful show of paintings that sold between $5,000 and $12,000, I struggled with the fact that NFTs at this time only sold for about $20 or were gifted,” says Jones.
“It didn’t make sense in my head that I would sell a digital representation of a painting for $30 when the physical one was selling for five figures.”
But Jones continued to investigate the NFT world, taking advantage of newfound relationships with the likes of Alotta money, Pascal Boyart and Coldie. He took particular notice Matt Kane and Coldie in the back half of 2019 which started selling in the hundreds or thousands of dollars and “started to think maybe there’s a way it makes sense to bring my work together with a digital counterpart.”
He says he was hesitant at first out of concern for collectors of his physical art who had paid top dollar. “I felt it would be disrespectful to sell that painting for $30, but I was still learning about editions and all the nuances of the space at the time,” he says.
The Canadian artist was an instant success when he finally decided to take the NFT drop. His very first NFT titled “EthGirl”, a collaboration with NFT art legends Alotta Money, broke the record for highest sales on SuperRaresell to Moderate Art for 72.1 ETH ($10,207 at time of sale).
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“Alotta Money is the most amazing guy. I worked with him on ‘EthGirl,’ which was inspired by the Picasso piece ‘Girl with a Mandolin.’ It was a big oil painting that I did and he animated it. It was still super early days in the NFT art scene, but it caused a huge bidding war between moderates and Whale shark and ended up breaking records.”
“Everybody was talking about it because this was really the first time I think artists, including myself, realized that we could actually make a living selling digital art through NFTs. It was really a pivotal moment I think in the room. It raised a lot of eyebrows as to where we might be heading.” Check it out by clicking the “Play” button in the tweet below.
Personal style
Coming from a traditional art background but with a love of technology and an appreciation for history, Jones says his style is hard to pin down, but his aim was to be a “social realist in this space – to capture moments in the crypto space, but also in the real world.”
“I don’t really have a unique style, but my work is always connected to the long history and tradition of painting and art history. I studied art history at university for five years. I’m a bit of an anachronism in this crypto space; here’s this crazy innovative digital new world, and then an old painter guy comes in and starts working, and people like what I’m doing.”
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“I’ve been interested in technology for a while with my previous work painting QR codes and exploring AR back in 2013, so I think that’s probably one of the reasons why the collectors in NFTs welcomed me with open arms because it is a story about my curiosity about technology and innovation.”
Notable sales to date
Castle party
Jones, who has lived in Scotland since 1999, has put his own spin on what an NFT IRL event should look like with his Bitcoin Angels Castle Party. The event brings artists and collectors together for a two-night celebration.
“With Bitcoin Angel my life completely changed in seven minutes and after talking to some major collectors on Twitter, one suggested I throw a castle party. At first I thought it was a stupid idea, but after sleeping on it for a day or two, I realized it was a good idea.”
“I have an opportunity through this castle party to thank all the people who bought one of my artworks. That’s really how it started, to invite all the owners of Bitcoin Angels and a way to give back to my community and it’s grown from there.
The 2023 Castle Party will be held in France from September 3 to 5, with holders of Jones’ artwork receiving discounted tickets. More information here.
The Oath Coronation NFT
To celebrate the coronation of the new king, Jones recently teamed up with Evening standard newspaper and Apollo Entertainment to release an open edition of NFT entitled “The Oath” to own a piece of history.
It was a free coin released on the Nifty Gateway, with 20,200 being minted, setting a record for an open-ended issue on the platform.
“I thought it was a cool opportunity to capture a moment in history and get people excited about digital art and what the NFT is. The Evening Standard is one of the biggest British publications and this was a chance to create something with them to be spread out into the real world, Jones said.
Which hot NFT artists should we be aware of?
Jones cites four artists who were part of the #ArtAngelsNFT series he created to spotlight emerging artists.
Saint MG (@SaintMG1) — Artist and architect from Colombia. Lost Angel in the digital renaissance.
Nurart (@NurArt_) — Visual artist from Cuba. Weaver of symbols.
Richard Masa (@RichardMasaArt) — Abstract-surrealist from Paris.
Maria Fynsk Norup (@mariafynsknorup) — Conceptual self-portrait artist from Denmark. Emotional storytelling.
“Art Angels can be considered something of a Hai tank show meets the dating game. It is where we connect artists and collectors. It has been life-changing for some of the artists involved. Saint MG did a 1-of-1 sale on SuperRare and some other sales and sold around $9,000, which is a lot in his hometown of Colombia.
“Nurart from Cuba has also made life changing money from some sales and is such a great artist. Richard Masa is absolutely phenomenal, just an amazing artist, be sure to check him out. Maria as a photographer is truly special – her work just takes you to places.”
Favorite NFTs in your wallet:
“La Peste Bleue” by Alotta Money
“(r)Evolution” by Alotta Money (gifted by ModeratsArt)
Links:
Twitter: twitter.com/trevorjonesart
Linktree: linktr.ee/trevorjonesart
Website: trevorjonesart.com/
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