My NFT journey has began. I must admit, I was quite reluctant at first due to my lack of knowledge about the whole NFT market, but I thought I will give it a go. To be honest – I would never have started if it wasn’t for Matthew Turner from Regency Wealth Management. It is fair to say that it has been his idea from the very beginning.

I have met Matthew while living in Kuwait and we stayed in touch. Few months ago he called me to ask if I would be interested in entering the world of NFT’s. His passion and knowledge sealed the deal. And here we are – launching our first NFT related project together. Matthew came over to see me in Portugal and we had a very intensive few days brain storming ideas and drinking wine (mostly drinking wine). That is how iNFT was born. The ‘i’ relates both to me as an artist and to the fact that all our NFT’s feature eyes.

It is always interesting for me to mix the world of art with that of technology, but I am aware that a lot of my followers don’t necessarily get the meaning of what NFT’s are. I will try to explain it best I can (yet again Matthew comes to rescue with some simple explanations :P).

NFTS or “Non-fungible tokens” use cryptocurrencies’ blockchains to sell original versions of digital artefacts.

Non-fungible tokens” (nfts) jumped to the forefront of mainstream art in March 2021 when Christies, a British auction house, sold a digital work of art for $69m. What was actually sold was an NFT, a cryptocurrency chit that proves a buyer owns an intangible marker connected to a unique piece of digital art, music or other item.

An NFT is a record or data entry onto a cryptocurrency’s blockchain (an immutable ledger that can record more than just virtual coins) that represents pieces of digital media. Invented only a few years ago, it can link not only to art but also to text, videos or bits of code. This solution attempts to solve the thorny problem with digital art: how to own an original. NFT Creators who freely upload their work or sell it as identical copies, the concept of an original can be difficult to pin down precisely. Exclusivity is impossible to enforce when digital files can be shared freely on the internet. But collectors want the cachet that comes with having an exclusive claim on an artwork. This is where NFTs come into their own.

My cat died.

In fact, it was a pussy, and she did not die, but was put to sleep. Eighteen years together. She moved with me from Warsaw to Kuwait, from Kuwait to Lisbon and then further to the Portuguese countryside.

She was quite a bitch – she did not like people (especially children, to whom she was religiously aggressive), she was a very picky eater and she was always in charge of the rest of my cats and two dogs. I guess that’s why there was such a close bond and a lot of love between us. The dictator cat and me.

Maybe it’s a cliché that animals take after their owners, I don’t know…. To me, there is some truth to this. With Goblin (that was her name), I had a strong relationship based on a code of rules that we both strictly followed.

I still have two cats – Slipper (the cuddly one), LuLu (the ugly one) and two Weimar pointers: Slate (the leader) and Flint (a drama queen). So if I take after my animals it would make me a spastic drama queen who likes to cuddle every now and then. I suppose it could be worse.

I feel much better around animals than with people. People fail on so many levels! They are flawed by nature. An animal, on the other hand, does not have this selfishness, it is loyal and protective. It is not afraid to show how much it loves you, neither it is afraid to show its gratitude for your love. A simple, unpretentious relationship. Also, there is nothing better then a properly warmed-up couch or hiking together in the woods or long-lasting face licking/stroking sessions.

Painting is not only about paints and brushes. It starts much earlier – in my head. It’s weeks or even months when I digest an idea, add various elements, give them up and build them anew. This mental picture matures and macerates in all my previous (and new) experiences. It is influenced by my moods and by an ever-changing world, only to one day unexpectedly explode on the canvas.

At this point I usually realize how much learning is still ahead of me. These weeks of projecting an image in my head are about as useful as a knitted condom! Really, no matter how hard I try, when I start to transfer my thoughts onto the canvas – it never goes according to plan.

This has its advantages. First of all, I realize that I am not as talented as I think I am. Secondly, the painting begins to live its own life and goes in a completely different direction. This allows me to learn something new, explore the technique, express myself here and now, without restrictions. This is probably what I like the most about my job – the unknown.

Over the last few years, I have developed a technique that I use for most of my paintings. It is not a new technique, but it is perfect for me.

I start with acrylic underpainting, which is either very dark or very aggressive in colour. Usually, at this stage, I know that I want to keep some of this base colour and smuggle it until the end. It allows me to build a multilayered image. I make decisions quite early which places I would like to leave unpainted. It’s a bit tiring not to splash paint everywhere, when you are in a fever of creating (brushes flying everywhere, etc). Oh, the life of a painter is so demanding…..😛

I’ve noticed that the most difficult thing for me is deciding which colour to use for the background. The silhouettes somehow emerge by themselves, while a poorly chosen background can reduce the effectiveness of the whole painting. I usually play with the background until I’m satisfied.

There comes a point during work that I know it’s time to quit. I could paint every painting endlessly, change colours, modify the composition and add new layers. The trick is to know when an image is attractive enough to stand by itself, and fresh enough for the viewer.

Personally, I do not like ‘tired’ paintings, where each millimeter is covered in paint. It’s nice to leave some areas understated … Besides, new ideas are already buzzing in my head.

It’s good to be an artist: P I can work when I feel like it (and I always feel like it), I can take a break and go for a coffee or not take a break and paint, for example, all night long.

Quick paintings are certainly not easier to accomplish. They simply require more precision and are more expressive at the same time.

From time to time a painting is created in one session. This has its advantages, such as the freshness of it, expressiveness or the intensity and continuity of the narrative. It also has its drawbacks – it requires more focus from me and leaves no room for mistakes. I like this quick process because it better reflects what’s on my mind at a given moment.

My friend Łukasz Bozycki had an idea to make a time laps video and try to paint a painting in one go. He set up all his gadgets, set up the lamps and sat me inside all of it with a blank canvas. He turned on the recording and went for a vodka (or some noodles, I don’t know), leaving me in the studio for a few hours in a very uncomfortable position ….