SPALENKA EYE

This is the second in a series of posts explaining the concept of cryptocurrency, NFTs and the future of money.

What is an NFT? Stands for non-fungible tokens. Physical money and cryptocurrencies are “fungible,” meaning they can be traded or exchanged for one another. They’re also equal in value—one dollar is always worth another dollar; one Bitcoin is always equal to another Bitcoin. Crypto’s fungibility makes it a trusted means of conducting transactions on the blockchain.

NFTs are different. Each has a digital signature that makes it impossible for NFTs to be exchanged for or equal to one another (hence, non-fungible). 

An NFT is a digital asset that can come in the form of art, music, in-game items, videos, and more. They are bought and sold online, frequently with cryptocurrency, and they are generally encoded with the same underlying software as many cryptos. Hence, they become embedded on a blockchain.

NFTs have been around since 2014, generally to buy and sell digital artwork. The market was worth a staggering $41 billion in 2021 alone. Since then the market has dropped for different reasons the main one being that crypto prices have fallen significantly since the start of the year. In the crypto world everything rises and falls on Bitcoin which is the number one decentralized (no one owns or controls it) crypto currency in the world. 

Many NFT's are placed on the centralized (owned and controlled) Ethereum (ETH) blockchain network, which generally follows the ups and downs of Bitcoin. There is volatility with Bitcoin because it is still tied to US and world financial markets. Within the next decade it will decouple from those influences and become its own value system, which if the predications are correct will far surpass the fiat systems that have been used for hundreds of years.

But even with the NFT downturn, they are still selling by the millions, despite the lower price point and declining ETH value. In fact, that number is rising lately, with some 8.78 million NFTs transacted in September—up from 7.68 million NFTs sold in August and 5.89 million sold in July.

This is the first in a series of posts explaining the concept of cryptocurrency, NFTs and the future of money. Why? Because I will be selling some of my art and products via this format and want to help my patrons understand this new technology. The ultimate benefit of utilizing this new form of commerce is that banks will no longer be the gatekeepers of your money.

Money is becoming digital. In some ways it is already digital with the use of credit cards, and online banking, but over the next decade most financial transactions will be placed on the blockchain. What is a blockchain? 

A blockchain is a database of secure and decentralized record of transactions that is shared amongst a computer network. A blockchain guarantees the fidelity and security of data, generating trust without the need for a trusted third party (like a bank). 

Bitcoin is the world’s first successful decentralized cryptocurrency and payment system, launched in 2009. The word “cryptocurrency” refers to a group of digital assets where transactions are secured and verified using cryptography – a scientific practice of encoding and decoding data. Those transactions are often stored on computers distributed all over the world via a distributed ledger technology called a blockchain. 

Bitcoin is considered a store of value like gold. This is because the price of a single bitcoin has increased considerably since its inception – from less than a cent to tens of thousands of dollars. Dollars can be traded into Bitcoin and vise versa. There are many crypto currencies out there, but in my opinion Bitcoin is the safest. 

NFTs (which I will be integrating with some of my upcoming projects) are connected to the cryptocurrency landscape and I will talk more about them in the next post. 

There are many people that can explain Bitcoin and digital commerce much better than I can, so here are some references-

Here is a good written overview. 

Crypto Dad (You can learn a lot from his You Tube channel) 

Trader University (Good overviews along with specific understanding of economics and Bitcoins place in it) 

Like any new technology there will be fears as to how it is going to change our reality. I dove into this paradigm five years ago and use Bitcoin for transactions and will take it on my website for everything I sell. I encourage you to learn more about this bold new world of digital commerce. Stay tuned for more info.

 Chaya, Charcoal on paper, 18"x24"

October 7th, 4-7 PM

 

Free.

 

 This is a once a month event where the Lena Street talent opens its doors to the public. There will be live music, open studios, yummy food. See you in Santa Fe!

Stay tuned for the launch of my collaborative adventure into the NFT world with award winning singer, song writer, SEAY! We will be showcasing a fusion of art and music on the Open Sea platform. It will be called, Sonic_Alchemy.

Seay added beautiful vocals to my Memory of a Cosmic Heart album.

Above is the banner and logo I designed for our page. This is an opportunity to explore the NFT landscape with my artful videos married to SEAY's music. 

For those of you not familiar with NFT's I will be sharing the steps to owning and collecting these unique pieces of art. Potential monetary benefits as an investment opportunity are there for those who are interested. I encourage everyone to learn more about this new paradigm of art collecting!

More info soon.

On the 8th day of the 8th month, the Lions Gate opens. Metaphysically this is a powerful day for transformation and visualization. There is a scene I worked on for the "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" motion picture which encapsulates this concept. Go Here.

One of the characters, Eustice has been turned into a dragon through a greedy activity. He is in danger of being slain because no one knows that this is not his real form. After realizing his error he asks for forgiveness and Aslan, the sacred lion turns him back into his human form... with some intense dramatics.

This scene symbolically represents the dragon of our lower nature, and the power of transformation using right thoughts, and right actions. The animatic shows our dragon/boy floating up from the ocean (his subconscious) as a sand bar pushes him above the water.

When he opens his eyes (waking the portals of perception) he sees the sun rising which turns into Aslan standing on the water. Aslan roars and rushes the waking dragon (the wind of realization). He tears him open with his claws (removing the ego) and the transformation begins from lower nature to higher being. 

The changing consciousness is washed over by a huge wave (infinite love), setting in motion a rebirth. Meditation, Contemplation, Prayer and Visualization are tools that help us calm the mind and open the portals of perception. May the perception of truth be yours.

To honor this event I am offering one free signed Aslan's Land postcard with every order from my site this week (ends August 14)! 

Music- "Creation" by Honk and "Pulsar" from the "Memory of a Cosmic Heart" album.

“Cats come when they feel like it. Not when they’re told.”

I celebrated the 2022 San Diego Comic Con with a rare piece of comic art!

Catwoman!

I rarely create art based on comic book characters, but this one was a delight. The goal was to bring a more quiet, classic approach to Catwoman instead of the more dynamic, ubiquitous qualities of the super hero comic genre. In this art the infamous cat-burglar calmly contemplates the exploits of the coming night. You can see Santa Fe sunsets influencing the tone in this one. 

This is a limited edition 18"x24" museum quality print of only ten copies. Each will be numbered and signed. $125. Purchase Here.

During June through August in Santa Fe, New Mexico a beautiful nightshade plant called Datura creates large fragrant trump like blossoms. They bloom at dusk and through the night, then wilt the next day. Supposedly it is poisonous with hallucinogenic properties.

What is truly astounding is watching bees and hummingbird moths compete between each other in a frenzied attempt to gather the Datura's nectar and pollen. I think it makes them high, because they dive into the flowers with a reckless abandon. It is not uncommon to see two hummingbird moths one on top of the other attempting to get to the aromatic nector, or eight bees in one flower lost in an orgiastic feast. I made a little video of the party.

The video quality has a lot of grain in it due to the low light at dusk. All footage was taken with the iPhone and iPad. Most of it is in slow-mo so you can appreciate the fast moving wings of these creatures. The only sounds you will hear are the beating of the moth's and bee's wings as well as slowed down crickets and birds in the background. Enjoy.

The new "Violet Flame" print is a creation that started with a request to produce a piece of art for Illuminated Perfume's ritual box series. Her new one is slated for release this upcoming Summer Solstice.

The image I created for the first ritual box was the "Green Knight" (below). These beautiful box sets include a unique hand made botanical perfume and other special items 

The inspiration for the Violet Flame was the mystical essence of Count St. Germain, the immortal myth, legend, alchemist, musician, philosopher, and Rosicrucian. Some honor Saint Germain as an ascended master. 

I had Roxana's magnificent perfume to inform the art, as well as her thoughts on the concept and my own intuitional guidance of what the art could be, but I wanted to go deeper.

I asked Sophia Murphy, a friend, poet, and spiritual guide who channels ascended masters and coincidently, Count St. Germain for some insight. This is an excerpt of that channeled session:

"I am St. Germain, holding the violet flame. You may see me holding this violet light within my being, my heart, my being completely encompassed, with my hands open to share this power and this powerful energy with all who seek it. 

Remember the power of the violet flame includes the colors, many shades and tones of violet, red and the golden flame of the chalice which holds all of creation which I can represent through my ability to convey this energy of healing and consummate infinite love.

For the eyes of Divine Source are the channel through which you are receiving this energy and this healing of the eternal violet fire. Remember there is a kinship and an eternal oneness between your own heart flame and the violet flame, which is eternally available to every beloved one who seeks it."

This reading opened a door for the metaphysical symbols to manifest- an amethyst chalice representing the body of creation aligned with the all seeing eye. St. Germain and the Violet Flame are one, complimented by alchemical designs of the elements and wings of the lotus flower. The earth below and the sky above remind us that we live between a physical reality and the consciousness of spirit. We transform ourselves in the violet flame.

The light of wisdom is within our self. Violet is the color of the crown chakra which represents the portal of enlightenment. May this art remind us, "there is a kinship and an eternal oneness between your own heart flame and the violet flame, which is eternally available to every beloved one who seeks it."

Pick up your print of the "Violet Flame" 

 Learn more about Count St. Germain.

Euterpe's Lament showcases a segment of an experimental music video shot by myself, Fritz Heede and Jeremy Kidd for the classical musical composition by Danaë Xanthe Vlasse. The song is on her Mythologies album which received a Grammy for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album featuring sopranos, Sangeeta Kaur & Hila Plitmann. The visual concept was to explore a fusion of classical and modern motifs including movement inspired by Isadora Duncan (who was influenced by greek and renaissance art) and Martha Graham.

Euterpe was the ancient Greek muse of music. She and her sisters were daughters of the great god Zeus; each muse was responsible for supporting major cultural elements, including history and the arts.

The music and imagery symbolically reflect the dance of these celestial muses and the suffering that they endured during the worldwide lockdowns that included concert halls, museums, and cultural venues. While their dance had been interrupted, their spirits lived on like eternal flames of the heart.

There were two photoshoots one by Fritz and one by me. Fritz also included violinist, Lili Haydn, cellist, Eru Matsumoto, and violist, Virginie d'Avezac de Castera in his video. I combined parts of both footage in Final Cut. We used a variety of cameras as well as iPhones and iPads. It was a fun and informative experiment. Below are some behind the scene pics of my shoot.

Costumes and makeup.

Lighting on the fly. We used a black screen for blocking most scenes and masked the outside areas later in post production.

The iPhone's resolution worked well for some shots. When connected to a gimble it allowed for smooth pans.

I was looking for a classical yet modern movement and referenced Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham for specific scenes. To keep an improvisational spirit I encouraged Danaë, Sangeeta and Hila to explore dance movements and theatrical posing. It appeared at times that Sangeeta was channeling a Butoh dancer!

The iPad camera worked better than expected. It was nice to see the action through such a large viewfinder that could be moved around.

Ladders and chairs were used for top down shots. No cranes were used in this living room!

Patiently waiting for me to get it together... so much of shooting film is hurry up and wait!

Duet.

I want to thank Danaë, Sangeeta, Hila, Fritz and Jeremy for adding their artistic expertise to this video exploration. Onward.

Go here to experience and learn more about Danaë and her classical compositions.

Go here to learn more about the art I created for the Mythologies album.