NFT interview
NFT Artist Interview: Eduardo Pena
EDUARDO PEÑA is an incredibly successful artist and art director for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Lucasfilm. The Colombian born artist entered the NFT world via Foundation with numerous successful drops. Given his talent as a traditional artist we anticipate great things from this amazing artist later this year. Thank you Eduardo for participating in this awesome profile.
Eduardo, thanks again for agreeing to this interview. We’d love to learn more about your background and what got you into art:
I ‘m always fascinated with the power of creation since my younger days.
A big influential reference form the 80’s pop culture such movies, music etc helped me, shape my motivations and future aspirations of what I should do for a living.
And today…
I’m a STORY-TELLER and a WIZARD, but mostly I’m a culture lover and traveler. I work as a professional creative currently based in the Sunny Singapore. Working as an Art director at LUCASFILM. And as a Creative consultant. I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for more than a decade for production companies such as Weta Workshop, Weta Digital, Lionsgate, LUCASFILM, Europa Corp, Eidos Montréal among others. And I contributed in multiple blockbusters such as: the Trilogy of the Hobbit, Hercules, Lucy, Deadpool 2, Pacific Rim 2, Ready Player One, and many more.
Some other exciting projects that are tangential to NFTS was my involvement with the creative development of theme parks and attractions such as:
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, VR projects under ILM-XLAB, among others.
Outside of the entertainment industry I have also work in collaborative projects in Urban Development, Design Sustainability, and Education.
This has been an interesting journey for me learning a lot from experiences and keep exploring and evolving the ways a communicate my visions to everyone.
Who is your favorite artists (Non NFT)?
Jean Giraud (aka MOEBIUS) is definitely my favorite artist. His incredible art and style defining many of the modern science fiction tropes and concepts from Alien to Tron and the Fifth Element is definitely an inspiration.
Who is your favorite NFT artist and what made you make the jump into the space?
Honestly, I am still very new to the NFT space. I am still exploring and discovering so many things in this new crypto art world! There is so much to learn about how these platforms work and how Artists can find a beneficial healthy environment where we can push our ideas, stories, etc, and monetize it, of course.
What excites me most about this NFT space is that I view it as a great medium to develop and refine my personal ideas!
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?
Right now I’d love to visit my native Country Colombia. It would be really great to make it home.
What are your other passions besides art?
Art both personal and professional takes up a very large portion of my time. Working on so many projects makes it hard to focus on other things. In my down time I do like to travel, explore the martial arts, and absorb various cultures to better educate myself. I believe that cultural absorption is a great way to make better art.
Thats great a great thought about culture, speaking of art style, how do you define yours?
My style is a constant mixture of emotions, experiences, ideas and metaphors that are evolving and nurturing my needs of expression. I would like to be a visual POLYGLOT.
What is coming in the near future?
To be honest im not sure. Im totally focused on the power of the NOW, is more exiting since is happening and im aware of it.
If you could collaborate with one artist who would it be?
I think I will collaborate who ever find a proper creative synchronization with the language(visual) I speak. I’m open to create that synergy not particularly with one person, it can be anything.
A good flow.
Do you have any upcoming drops?
Oh yeah! In the near future I plan on releasing a lot of personal stories and a rich diversity of visual moments.
Additionally, COSMO-MORFO still evolving, I’ve been working on those story beats for years. It has a variety of visual metaphors.
And another interesting stories will shape.
Eduardo, Thank you so much for your time. Where can collectors find more about you and your NFTs?
Unfortunately, my website is still under construction due of copyright from shows. As soon as its live I will share with the world.
Social links:
https://twitter.com/Edu_Visualist
https://www.instagram.com/eduardo_creativum
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardopenacreative
NFT marketplace links:
https://foundation.app/eduardo_creativum
NFT Artist Interview: Kristian Levin aka. NoCreativeAbode
The photographer turned 3d artist uses his expertise creating beautiful compositions to create incredible digital NFTs that feel alive.
Kristian, born in Denmark, has been drawing a lot of attention in the NFT world. We were originally drawn to him after seeing the beautiful combinations of science-fiction and surreal landscapes combined to create jaw-dropping visuals that suck you into the piece. This is our interview with Kristian Levin aka No Creative Abode.
Kristian, Tell us about yourself. What brought you into the fast growing NFT space
I’m a forthcoming and talkative person, I love engaging with people. online as well in real life. Nature fascinates me, and I love spending time outside. But i am also fascinated by cities and especially architectural structures. I’ve worked as a professional retoucher and photographer for around 11 years, but a few of years ago, I turned my attention to the world of 3D, and never looked back. All my experience form the latter 2 fields of work, translated seamlessly into 3D.
Covid has been tough, what do you do when you need to separate from creating art?
On the weekends, I love spending time with family and friends. Before the pandemic I loved going to concerts, but today I escape by taking long walks alone. It gives me time to view the world through a unique lens. I find that after these walks, I am able to come back and just sit down and create new works. I have to be constantly creating or I’ll go mad.
Where do you draw inspiration from in the art community?
Coming from the world of photography, specifically in the world of retouching, one of my favorite artists has always been Hiroshi Sugimoto. The way he leveraged the camera to mold exquisite black-and-white imagery is truly remarkable. Other photographers that have inspired me include Michael Kenna, Ansel Adams and Franco Fontana. It’s important not to leave this out, I’ve been greatly inspired by surrealism artists including the greats: Magritte, Salvador, and MC Escher. They’re great.
Let’s talk NFT Artists, who do you like in this space?
There are so many artists to look up to in this space. First, the community has been incredibly amazing and accepting, not only of me, but of all artists. I am truly thankful to have been able to come into this new realm and on top of finding amazing collectors that are excited about my art, learning from the artists around me has been great. I could obviously talk about the most popular NFT artists today, but i’m also such a big fan of many artists. There are so many… six n five, murativ, fergemanden, iammoteh, aeforia, bakaarts, Gavin Shapiro… I could go on and on.
What made you take the NFT Dive?
I’ve been following crypto since 2013 or 2014. It’s been an incredible journey watching the space mature. As soon as I discovered the fact that you can create art and put it on the blockchain, I was hooked. Combine that with my passion for 3d art, and I havent looked back. I seriously love everything about this space.
What is one piece of NFT art you missed out on?
oh I don’t even know where to start, ideally I would want to go full pokemon and catch them all!
(Coincidently we expect a Pokemon NFT announcement in the near future).
Social links:
https://www.instagram.com/nocreativeabode/
NFT marketplace links:
https://makersplace.com/kristianlevin/
NFT Artist Interview: Chissweetart
In addition to artist profiles, NFT Culture enjoys interviewing up and coming artists in the NFT / Crypto art space. This interview is particularly interesting as Chissweetart is making waves in 2021 in the NFT community. Chissweetart was candid and open about what influences her somber and viseral yet beautiful art.
About Chissweetart
Hailing from the United States (Tennessee), Chissweetart has been creating art for nearly a decade. Her past experiences combining photography with creative tools like photoshop shines through in her NFTs and the recent additions of motion align with the current trends.
In her down time she spends time exploring other art mediums, taking long naps, playing video games, and enjoying time with her partner. Her favorite Video Game is Silent Hill. The dark atmospheric tones and environments excite her when playing games. Additionally, “Other passions I have are writing, cooking, photography, and helping people. I do drawing, painting, pastels, photography, and scultping.”
What Art inspires you?
We asked Chissweetart about her favorite artists and influences and when she told us, it made perfect sense (and shows influence on her current style.) The first artist she referenced as a favorite and inspiration is the mexican painter known for self-portraits and hispanic cultural folk art Frida Kahlo. The second artist she mentions is the spanish artist and illustrator Luis Royo who combines dark themes around fantasy, science-fiction, and beauty to create jaw-dropping visual arts.
We tried to pin Chissweetart on who her favorite NFT artists are and while she was reluctant to share one individual, she did comment that she looks “up to the digital painters and 3D artists the most. I can’t do that and I think it’s quite impressive what they come up with.” When asked further she admitted, “I would have loved to purchase a Beeple piece but there is no way I could afford it but his art is incredible!” (Sidenote, this interview occurred before Beeple art crossed 6-figures on the secondary markets.)
Why Chissweetart started getting into the NFT space?
Chissweetart cited her family as an inspiration to create her art on the blockchain. Unlike many (the majority) of the world today. Her family is already comfortable with blockchain concepts and finance, a slight nudge from her mother helped push her down this path.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go today?
I would love to go to Japan. It has always been a dream of mine to explore the island and culture. I’d love to spend time exploring all the areas from the neon lit cities to the Bamboo forests as well as the beautiful landscapes lined with Cherry Blossoms with Mount Fuji in the background. It would be awesome to get to explore it all.
What’s next from an NFT art perspective?
We asked Chissweetart about what is upcoming for her NFT art. She candidly shared some details about her next piece she’s titled Barren. This part of the interview is tough, but we appreciated the detail she share with NFTculture about the details and meaning behind this incredible art. It’s amazing that art can be a release for artists to explore, understand, and purvey life’s struggles. The Barren piece is about “my endometeriosis and how my abuse has caused me to be barren. I cannot have children.” You can see that the ‘Lily of Death’ is “coming through her stomach and represents how my fertility is dead. The flowers on my girls eyes always represent how love blinded me in the time of the abuse.” Finally, the separation of her head and body shows “how I felt like I had lost myself through the process. This is what I meant by my piece but everyone will see it differently. That’s the beauty and magic of art.”
What is one piece of advise you’d give to other aspiring NFT artists?
I guess one thing I’d like to share is to never give up. I have been doing art for years and never thought I could sell a piece of have someone like what I make but I never gave up and now I am proving myself wrong, in a good way! May seem hopeless at times but giving up gives up the chance to succeed.
Where to find this NFT Artist
Artistation: artstation.com/chissweetart
Twitter: @chissweetart
NFT Marketplaces :
Mostly on MakersPlace
You can also find her art on rarible
Expect a Genesis piece on Terra Virtua in the near future.
She is also open to commissions at this time.
We hope you enjoyed this interview. We are always looking for additional up and coming artists to interview and feature. If you’re interested please go here.
Featured NFT Crypto Artist
Kenny Scharf
Kenny Scharf may be one of the most well-known traditional artists to dip their toe into the NFT world. The main goal of his art is for his work to reach beyond elitist boundaries of “fine art” and make it accessible through pop culture. With over 130,000 follower on Instagram,
He has crypto art is always a must-have for the aspiring NFT collector and his collections retain and grow in value over time.
Are you an
NFT Artist?
WE WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE YOUR WORK.