ARTificial: Pinetop Blues
This token further explores my use of Ai to communicate and document arts and culture on the blockchain. Recently there has been great deal of discussion among digital artists about releasing art into the Public Domain (CC0). I've been experimenting with this myself. For me, there is no better way to explore the concept than by utilizing historical works as inspiration for something new.
This animated image is inspired by Clarence "Pinetop" Smith. What caught my attention about Clarence, besides his incredible music, is his nickname. Specifically, that he was given the nickname as a child due to his fondness for climbing trees. I imagine him in a state of childlike wonder searching for the next tree limb to grasp. Hunting for the next foothold to balance. Later, that feeling must have translated to the piano as he searched for the note that would get the crowd moving. For the sound that would keep them all dancing.
Sadly, Clarence was senselessly killed in a bar fight in 1929 at the age of 25. His spirit and energy live on through the advanced recording technology of his day, now immortalized on the blockchain until someone down the line migrates it to the next form of digital permanence.
Clarence Smith (June 11, 1904 – March 15, 1929), better known as Pinetop Smith was an American boogie-woogie style blues pianist. You can learn more about him here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinetop_Smith
Public domain music download thanks to http://www.openmusicarchive.org/
Animation created using midjourney Ai and GIMP.
CC0. Public Domain.
Learn more about the artist at www.RobertMatheson.com