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Top 10 crypto artist Trevor Jones on being rich, rekt and rich again: NFT Creator

Trevor Jones creates NFTs fit for a King, he sold $4.3 million of NFTs in a day and he’s among the most celebrated crypto artists in the world.

With a total artwork value of $24 million Trevor Jones is one of the Top 10 most successful crypto artists worldwide.

Trevor Jones journey to crypto art stardom started the same way as many crypto noobs: His portfolio went way up, he failed to take profits, and the price came crashing down wiping out the paper gains.

A traditional painter, Jones always wanted to explore the intersection of art and technology, and he experimented with QR code oil paintings in 2012 and dived into AR art in 2013.

But it was his 2017 investment in Bitcoin that sparked deep curiosity in what this new world of crypto and blockchain was about. After getting rekt in 2018s crypto winter, Jones turned his attention from crypto trader to crypto painter. He says:

I caught that bull run and made a lot of money and then lost a lot of money in 2018. It all went up and all came crashing down.

I really fell down the rabbit hole and got completely excited about the space and the people. I was following whoever I could on Twitter, the likes of Vitalik Buterin and John McAfee and characters like that. Very quickly, I started having thoughts that this is something I would like to explore with my art.

The Eccentric – John McAfee by Trevor Jones at Crypto Disruption Exhibition. (trevorjonesart.com)

Crypto art was almost non-existent as a genre in 2018 within traditional art circles, so Jones took it upon himself to hire a commercial gallery to stage a crypto-themed exhibition where he showcased some of his first original crypto art at the Crypto Disruption Exhibition.

The 12 paintings I did were all inspired by the crypto space, and from the new perspective I was coming in from, I didnt know a lot about it at the time. I focused on some of the characters, such as Satoshi Nakamoto, ideas and themes like the bull and the bear, hodling and riding the wave. It was kind of me figuring out how to visualize this space through these paintings, he said.

I sold almost everything from the exhibition to anonymous collectors around the world where they paid me in Bitcoin and Ethereum. It really blew my mind because normally when you go through an art gallery to sell work, you dont get to meet the collectors for the most part, its all done behind closed doors. Youd hopefully receive money two to three months down the line when the gallery pays you out.

To get paid immediately was just so eye-opening. A few of the paintings were actually sold before the exhibition even opened. I was just posting some images on Twitter and somebody would reply saying they liked it and how much is it? Id tell them a number, and theyd just send me some Bitcoin, and the sale was done. It was just the most surreal thing.

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Oil paintings to NFTs

With a path similar to Josie Bellinis, from crypto artist first to NFT artist second, Jones recalls Coin Fest in April 2019 in Manchester being a pivotal moment. David Moore from Known Origin tried to explain to him why he should be interested in NFTs.

Coming from the perspective of a traditional artist who had a very successful exhibition of paintings that were selling between $5,000 and $12,000, I was grappling with the fact that NFTs at this time were only selling for about $20 or being gifted, Jones says.

It didnt make sense in my head that I should sell a digital representation of a painting for $30 when the physicals were being sold for five figures.

But Jones continued to investigate the world of NFTs, tapping into newfound relationships with the likes of Alotta Money, Pascal Boyart and Coldie. He paid particular attention to Matt Kane and Coldie in the back half of 2019 who were starting to make sales in the hundreds or thousands of dollars and started to think maybe theres a way that it makes sense to bring my work together with a digital counterpart.

He says he was initially hesitant out of concern for collectors of his physical art who had paid top dollar. I felt that it would be disrespectful to then sell that painting for $30, but I was still learning about editions and all the nuances of the space at the time, he says.

The Canadian artist was an instant success when he finally decided to take the NFT plunge. His very first NFT titled EthGirl, a collaboration with NFT art legends Alotta Money, broke the record for the highest sale on SuperRare, selling to ModeratsArt for 72.1 ETH ($10,207 at the time of sale).

Personal style

Coming from a traditional art background but with a love of technology and an appreciation for history, Jones says his style is hard to label, but his aim was to be a social realist in this space to capture moments in the crypto space but also in the real world.

I dont really have a unique style, but my work is always connected to the long history and tradition of painting and art history. I studied art history at university for five years. Im somewhat of an anachronism in this space of crypto; heres this crazy innovative digital new world and then some old painter dude comes in and starts working away, and people like what Im doing.

Notable sales to date

EthBoy by Trevor Jones and Alotta Money:

Bitcoin Angel and From Palette to Canvas: Total sales amassed $4.3 million on Nifty Gateway on Feb. 25, 2021. Bitcoin Angel generated $3.2 million in seven minutes, while $1.1 million in sales were generated from 15 x 1-of-1 artworks as part of the From Palette to Canvas collection that included the NFT and physical painting on Nov. 21, 2021. Eth boy

EthBoy by Trevor Jones and Alotta Money: Sold on Async Art for 260 ETH ($143,000 equivalent on the date of sale) on Nov. 21, 2021.

The Collision by Trevor Jones x Pak: The collection generated approximately $1.3 million on Nifty Gateway, released on Dec. 18, 2020.

Genesis Trevor Jones and Jose Delbo collaboration: Sold on Makers Place for 540.86 ETH ($204,445 equivalent on the date of sale) on Oct. 18, 2020. Included this Genesis Batman 1-of-1 sale for 302.5 ETH ($114,000 equivalent on the date of sale).

Castle Party

Jones, who has lived in Scotland since 1999, has put his own spin on what an NFT IRL event should look like with his Bitcoin Angels Castle Party. The event brings artists and collectors together for a two-night celebration.

With Bitcoin Angel, my life changed entirely in seven minutes, and having spoken with a few bigger collectors on Twitter, one suggested I throw a castle party. At first, I thought it was a stupid idea, but after sleeping on it for a day or two, I came to realize it was a great idea.

I have an opportunity through this castle party to thank all the people who bought one of my artworks. Thats really how it started off, to invite all the owners of Bitcoin Angels and a way of giving back to my community, and its grown from there.

The 2023 castle party will be held in France from September 3 to 5, with holders of Jones artworks receiving discounted tickets. More information here.

The Oath Coronation NFT

To celebrate the coronation of the new King, Jones recently teamed up with the Evening Standard newspaper and Apollo Entertainment to release an open-edition NFT titled The Oath to own a piece of history.

It was a free mint dropped on Nifty Gateway, with 20,200 being minted, which set a record for an open-edition mint on the platform.

I thought it was a cool opportunity to capture a moment in history and get people excited about digital art and what NFTs are. The Evening Standard is one of the biggest U.K. publications, and this was a chance to create something with them to get disseminated out into the real world, said Jones.

Claim your FREE NFT 'The Oath' celebrating the King's #Coronation + more giveaways including 10 signed, fine art prints.

https://t.co/n0uEBYTVpL

In partnership with @ApolloNft & @EveningStandard pic.twitter.com/wxGyOxZhfu
— Trevor Jones (@trevorjonesart) May 4, 2023

Which hot NFT artists should we be paying attention to?

Jones cites four artists who were part of the #ArtAngelsNFT series he created to shine a spotlight on emerging artists.

Saint MG (@SaintMG1) Artist and architect from Colombia. Lost Angel in the digital renaissance.

Nurart (@NurArt_) Visual artist from Cuba. Weaver of symbols.

Richard Masa (@RichardMasaArt) Abstract-surrealist from Paris.

Maria Fynsk Norup (@mariafynsknorup) Conceptual self-portrait artist from Denmark. Emotional storytelling.

Art Angels could be considered somewhat of a Shark Tank show meets the dating game. Its where wed connect artists and collectors. Its been life-changing for some of the artists involved. Saint MG made a 1-of-1 sale on SuperRare and some other sales and sold about $9,000, which is a lot in his hometown of Colombia.

Nurart from Cuba has also made life-changing money from some sales and is such a great artist. Richard Masa is absolutely phenomenal, just an amazing artist, be sure to check him out. Maria as a photographer is really special her work just takes you to places.