"I don't even know where to begin... working on this oil painting was like traveling back in time. It threw me back to my early days in the cryptoart scene in the early 2020's; a time when we were like a little family... ""pre-hype-wave""... good times; manageable times; more honest times. I had put brushes and paints aside then, and even though I kept looking at Trevor Jones and other oil painters and their work with delight, I never painted another stroke. For me, that was no longer relevant in those days. I wanted to try my hand at pure digital and explore this area that was new to me. There was so much to discover. There were so many exciting artists I was in contact with. One of them was Philippe aka Alotta Money, who I had great respect for his work.
Already towards the end of 2021 I felt that I was drawn back to the easel and my oil paints were calling me. But I was not yet ready. It seemed to take Trevor Jones and his invitation to the Castle Party 2023 for me to finally get back to this medium that was so important to me. An Alotta Money tribute exhibition? I couldn't have thought of a better reason; no better subject than this wonderful artist we miss from the earlier days. It was not only an honor, but a real pleasure, because it meant a certain dissolution of boundaries... pushing the limits and creating an oil painting that breaks with all my previous approaches.
In an interview, Philippe once said that he would sow little silly seeds in our pockets. As a master of wit and the absurd, he was able to successfully translate this into his works. At the same time, he was colorful and funny... I think these are exactly the attributes I wanted to implement in my painting. His avatar in the foreground; colored differently, as Philippe stood out as an artist from the rest... his eyes wandering into the distance; the light magic of inner creativity refracted through the prism of life in dazzling colors…. The result is called: „A M4STER OF S1LLY S33DS“
The very first version of this animation had a different music as background: namely a piano piece by John McAfee, who was a patron of Philippe. It just felt more right to include him at first, since they've both passed away by now and hopefully they can toast a glass together somewhere. The original version can be found here on Twitter and is not part of this NFT due to copyright technical issues. https://twitter.com/primal_cypher/status/1692144786809946299
What remains to be said at the end? ...Philippe would probably have alluded to the end of the movie ""Life of Brian"".... Always look on the bright side of life! Always look on the light side of life! Always look on the bright side of life! Always look on the light side of life!
The oil painting comes framed in an exclusive and wonderful Guggenheim frame.
UNLOCKABLE FEATURES:
the physical OIL PAINTING (approx. 31,5x31,5 inches; 80x80cm) The high res file of the oil painting (9450x9450 pixel)"