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June 21, 2016
Bitcoin, the painting! With magic numbers! SOLD!
Note: This painting sold to a private collector. Thank you!
I'm pleased to present to you my painting "Bitcoin", depicting a typical digital representation of the currency, but with a special twist!
Bitcoin came onto to the scene in 2008 and was the first decentralized digital currency, or cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is a really interesting development in the evolution of our monetary system, it’s not attached to any banks or countries and exists only in the digital realm. I thought it was about time for a painted tribute, so here we are!
One of the hallmarks of my work is taking objects from the digital realm and illustrating them using old media like paint. There is a real satisfaction and joy one gets seeing the ethereal entities we see onscreen everyday turned into real objects like paintings. I painted the Bitcoin symbol with brightly coloured broad strokes to emphasize the paint medium. I chose gold tones for the coin to symbolize its roots in the money system, which of course used to be gold-backed. The background is in green tones, as green is, well, the colour of money, and I gave it a dark underbelly to represent the Dark Net where Bitcoin is often used.
The painting is also a portrait of Bitcoin's mysterious inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, whose real identity remains a secret. The only thing that is known for certain about Satoshi Nakamoto is his public key, so I've painted that! Number for number, layered on top of the dramatic Bitcoin symbol, in a semi-transparent gold paint, is the meticulously painted public key of Satoshi Nakamoto. These numbers have a magical quality to them and the effect is mesmerizing! You look at the painting one way and the Bitcoin symbol is prominent, then when you tilt the painting in the light, the numbers and letters of the public key emerge right before your eyes. It's like the numbers are animated or holographic, and it's really cool. It’s the visual representation of encryption and the digital world, and it gives this painting an otherworldly dimension and a life of its own. Check out the video to see what I mean!
This painting was fun to work on, the magic numbers were a real challenge to paint, but I think I met that challenge! I know the new owner of this delightful object will enjoy it as much as I do.
-Nitrozac
Note: This painting sold to a private collector. Thank you!
Posted by Snaggy at 08:59 AM