Who are you?
I am a husband, a father of four, an avid hiker, and a generative artist.
When did you start making art?
I have been making art since I was a kid. I fell in love with the art of James C. Christensen as a four-year-old and have been creating ever since. Throughout high-school I spent a lot of time painting and drawing, and I paid for college working at a stained glass studio. I discovered generative art back in August of 2021 and began working with p5.js immediately.
How did you first hear about FxHash?
I heard about fxhash while reading an article I saw on Twitter. I think the article was about HEN, but it mentioned fxhash tangentially. I was intrigued at the idea of a generative platform on Tezos, looked it up, and dove in.
How did you come up with the idea for your genesis piece Jardin?
The initial idea that developed into Jardin came while looking at patterns I had sketched on school papers about 15 years ago. As I began experimenting with adapting the old sketches to generative art, Jardin emerged in its current form.
Waiting In Afton has become one of the most iconic pieces on the whole website. The story behind is just as beautiful as the mints themselves. What was the process for creating this masterpiece?
Waiting in Afton was created in two phases. After devising a technique for generating the hills, I expanded the project to include vegetation, the moon, and clouds. I was happy with a few outputs, but didn’t see much of a future for the project, so I put it down and moved on to other things. Later, while walking back to the trailer I was living in and looking at the surrounding mountains, I made the connection between the project and my time in Afton watching the seasons change while waiting and hoping for an opportunity to share my art. At that point, I returned to working on it and developed it into its current form.
Did you expect the Aftons to be so successful?
I was surprised by how quickly they became successful. Initially I didn’t mint any for myself. It was a bit of a shock to go to buy one on secondary and have the floor be 100 tezos.
In your work “Beyond” you play with the idea of unknown universes coming to life. How did you know when this work was “finished”?
After taking the project in many different directions and experimenting with modifying different parameters there came a moment when the idea felt complete. The outputs had the feel I wanted to capture, and I felt trying to add anything more would likely detract from what I set out to do.
Why do you make art?
It is something I have been drawn to for as long as I can remember. Even at times when I have not been as focused on art, I have always felt the need to create, to apply myself to transform the vision I have in my head into something tangible. I never feel I completely attain the vision of what I am striving for, and that feeling pushes me to try again.
The variety on “Caught in a void” is quite vast and the use of different silhouettes makes it unique from your other works. A majority of the mints are dark and depressing. What did you hope to convey with this piece?
I created Caught in a Void as a way of capturing and examining the anxiety and depression I had been grappling with for over a year. The darkness in many of the mints reflect that struggle.
Do you have any “Caught in a void” mints that are your personal favorite or think did the best job expressing your ideas?
Caught in a Void #66 is the piece I feel best captures the crushing darkness of the depression and anxiety I was struggling with. However, I am happy others like #438 appeared in the final project, to show the moments of hope and relief that came through even during the darkest times. Together the two outputs help create the full story: despite how dark the current moment may appear there are bright moments ahead if you hold on. The final mint, #571 is a perfect completion to the project with the figure looking up into a light, finding hope and a path away from the darkness.
How have you been enjoying FxHash so far?
I am incredibly grateful for fxhash and have enjoyed the opportunity to share my art and interact with the community there!
What are your plans for 2022?
I hope to launch a few projects this year. Currently, I don’t have any specific launches planned. The final quarter of 2021 was a great experience, but not very balanced. I hope to take more time on projects and release them at a more comfortable pace.
Is there anyone you want to shoutout?
I would like to thank ciphrd for his incredible work developing fxhash! Also, I would like to thank everyone who has shown their support by collecting my work! I feel lucky to have had personal interactions with many of you and appreciate your encouragement and advice!
Anything else?
Thank you for the opportunity to slow down and distill my thoughts into words!