Why I'm Jumping In & What You Need to Know about NFTs

     My paintings are diverse as the natural world that inspired them. Some are luminously colorful like a garden in spring, while others illustrate the monochromatic contrast of a pine forest under a fresh blanket of snow. Some interpret the sound of wind over dry grasses, others celebrate the comforting earthy smell of rain. For me, painting reaches into the mystery of what comes next and carries it the canvas in front of me. Painting is my flowstate; it sets me free, and lets me honor my kinship to the natural world.
     As an artist, part of my mission is to share and connect with others. I'm outing my portfolio on web3 as NFTs to bring a greater sense of interconnection, a natural, wild and earthy essence, to the emerging metaverse. Born too soon to be a digital-native, most of this stuff is totally weird and new to me, and maybe to you, too. That's why I have lots of links to helpful info highlighted. If you don't understand a term that's highlighted, click on it to find out.
     Bridging my work to web3 and the metaverse is a risk. With many artworks in public, private, and corporate collections, I've worked hard to earn my social following and build my brand, and I can never tell how people will react. A few months ago when my son brought up the idea of minting my work as NFTs, like many others, I thought the whole thing was a gimmick. Delving in as a fact-finding mission to inform myself,  I've begun to see a nascent world take shape under the flag of decentralization. I see a place where ownership and power can shift to individual artists.
     Recently, my own business's fragility became apparent when a mega social media platform, without explanation nor response to appeal, revoked the ad account I relied on to show my paintings to potential collectors. Web3 can be a path to progressive decentralization that would prevent such actions. I've learned the hard way how valuable that is. If I'm bringing my work to the metaverse, I want to support decentralization. Carbon footprint matters to me, too. That's why I'm choosing Ethereum. Ethereum's currency, Ether (ETH), unlike other crypto currencies, is moving to "proof of stake" the first or second quarter of 2022. Proof of stake, rather than "proof of work," makes the carbon footprint of ETH 99% smaller. Fingers crossed!
     In my art career, I follow five steps:
          1. Take a risk.
          2. Make something you want to see/experience.
          3. Go ahead, be vulnerable and share it.
          4. Listen, but don't obsess over response.                  
          5. Repeat.
     I'm taking a risk and jumping into a new frontier of art collection and trading. If you already have a crypto "wallet," when you click to see each of my pieces, maybe even "like" them, it's helpful and appreciated. You can see my first five NFTs for sale here on OpenSea. Each NFT documents one of my paintings and includes a detailed image, description, basic set of physical properties, and an IPFS image link. Select NFTs include a claim for the physical painting as well. Thanks for looking!

"The Frontier" [NFT + physical painting] This NFT includes the 32" square painting and is available exclusively on OpenSea. Click on photo to see details.

"Red and Black (Finding Center)" [NFT + physical painting] This NFT includes the 28" x 20" x 1.5" painting and is available exclusively on OpenSea. Click on photo to see details.