Currently I’m living outside of nyc, due to a divorce and a plethora of issues, I’ll touch on later.
I started drawing when I was 18 as the result of getting my first tattoo. I briefly became a tattoo artist before entering the world of academia. I received my BFA from Penn State University in 2002, and my MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2004. Yes, I am in eternal debt. But, I’m extremely addicted to drawing and will stop at nothing to continue this habit.
To highlight my early years in NYC I’ll simply write verbatim what I would send out to many many galleries.
“He has had solo shows at Marvelli, Derek Eller, and RARE Gallery and has been included in group exhibitions at White Columns and Massimo Audiello Inc. in New York, as well as Galerie Rodolphe Janssen in Brussels. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, The New Yorker and Art on Paper magazine.”
I had early success in NYC then was a persona non grata for 15 years. Then, I became an NFT artist (Nate Hill urged me to try this) and my life essentially changed overnight. But, before I go into this I want to briefly outline my personal life. I’ve been divorced twice, have a beautiful daughter and have been in paralyzing debt my whole life. The dream of following your passion till you succeed was not conducive domestically or professionally.
Nonetheless, I continued to draw 12-14 hours a day everyday for decades. This routine kept my sanity. I spend between 200-300 hours drawing lines in essential isolation with the exception of very loud music.
Becoming an NFT artist:
I started with Foundation and was ignored, so I assumed the hype was very much just hype and my life would continue much as it had been. Then (another suggestion from Nate Hill) I tried Hic et Nunc. End of story. This was a profoundly life altering move. I’ve met more like minded people in one week than 20 years in NYC. If I had to compare this to anything else I’ve read about I’d have to say either the early days of abstract expressionism or punk rock in 1977. There was/is a genuine passion and DIY ethic that is so far removed from any radar the money motive really doesn’t exist (for the artist). So the freedom to experiment and freely share ideas is nothing I have experienced as an adult. These are the ingredients in which I believe art thrives.
3 months later: I will be moving back to nyc to be closer to my daughter. End of story.
NFT’s are a cataclysmic paradigm shifting phenomena. They are infants and will turn the page of art history. Names that were once staples in the art world will become irrelevant and a whole new generation of artists will take their place. It is an exciting milieu to live in.
Linktree
