Today I was able to mint my latest art piece as an NFT on the Hive blockchain. It's a collage in my usual style which is a further addition to my growing portfolio and gallery collection.
I called this work "Harness Your Dragon 2". This is because I have already minted and earlier work by the same name with a similar theme. The image is not the same, but the subject matter is similar, namely that of Harnessing the Dragon-like creature that appears as the central image in the artwork.
In this work you can see my familiar style. I make these collages as a hobby by hand, first cutting out pictures from old magazines mostly from the last century, which I then paste with glue onto an A4 size page. I allow the image to create itself based on my imagination and upon whichever picture appears to attract my attention or appeal to my eyes in the moment. I then gradually build a new picture which naturally reveals what might be on my mind on the day.
My familiar setting of outer space, with planets or galaxies floating in the background, can be seen here in this image today. Usually I would mint perhaps three or four editions of any particular artwork. However, today I have minted 13 editions and have reduced the price accordingly for each individual nft.
Now that minting costs have been reduced for bulk editions, I have taken the opportunity to mint extra copies and offer them at reduced prices so that the sharing spirit can inspire artists and collectors to sell more of their work as well as support each other by buying some nft artworks to.
I found some other interesting art pieces by other nft artists and have added them to my collection. These nft artworks are perhaps a small niche industry. Nevertheless artists generally love to create original works and also enjoy collecting artworks of others. I love the idea of being an art collector and trader.
It goes along with being a fine artist who can produce and display their own works to share with the world. Some people enjoy collecting cars or plants or any number of curious creations. My passion happens to be nft artworks. And now in my later years blockchain technology and specifically the Hive blockchain has allowed me to find the platform to produce and display my own artworks for the first time now at the twilight of my life.
My collection is slowly growing, not only of my own creations but also those I'm collecting by other artists. By reducing the fees for minting individual pieces, we are now able to create many more and offer them for sale, or also share them and offer them has gifts to friends or as prizes for collectors.
Who knows, perhaps one day in years to come these early nft artworks may become classics in their own right and gain value has early productions minted in the digital art gallery here on the blockchain.
The theme in today's particular minting shows a dark giant dragon with jaws wide open attempting to devour the entire Earth planet, as if it were a massive creature larger than the earth itself. However, in the jaws of the Dragon we see the central focus of the image, which is a smaller white dragon, who holds a spear or lance with which the white dragon appears to force open the jaws and obstruct the devouring dark dragon from crushing the Earth in its teeth.
The white dragon is actually also sometimes see as a Griffin, which is the mythic figure often seeing in Welsh Heraldry. The image suggests a military battle between the forces of light and dark or Good and Evil. Darkness appears to be about to devour the Earth planet. Yet the forces of light are able to counteract and combat this imminent overwhelming destruction.
Here and there littered within the jaws of the dark dragon we see fallen soldiers or heroes who have already being destroyed in their attempts to confirm his dark dragon. Still the white dragon appears to be successful where others have failed.
Tangled between the teeth of the dark dragon we also see treasures, such as pearls, gems and jewels. It is a scene from mythology where the dragon has a horde of treasure; and here as the white dragon defeats it's dark nemesis, it is able to also claim treasures which were once stolen by this dark shadowy enemy of the world.
The cosmic background of the universe filled with galaxies can be seen as the setting, while in the foreground the dragons battle for rulership of the Earth. This mythic scene symbolizes the battle that rages eternally between the forces of evil or darkness, and light here on planet Earth.
Most of my collage artworks in my nft gallery have this similar space or fantasy theme about them and the style of artwork is familiar one as can be seen in all the images that I have on display.
I am selling these nfts today for a mere three hive coin in the effort to share my nft art more widely, by using the opportunity to mint more additions and sell them for less amongst other collectors and artists like myself.
This #HiveArtShare project makes a great opportunity for artists and collectors to network and distributes their creations more freely.
Normally I would take my completed paper collage to be scammed into a digital format which can then be uploaded and minted as an nft. However my current circumstances limit my movement temporarily and so I have been unable to travel anywhere and could not access the scanning facility that I normally use.
In order to come up with a an alternative solution, I was able to simply use my phone to take a photograph of my collage, which I then edited on the phone, also adding some text. It was then possible for me to upload and mint this picture right from the same smartphone and to my gallery at the NFT Showroom on the Hive blockchain.
This is quite innovative for me and I'm glad I found an alternative method which allowed me to continue minting artworks, thanks to the amazing developments and technology as well as the Hive blockchain and the Hive mobile apps which are available, through which we can continue producing and uploading our original creative content like this artwork here today.
If you wish to see the nft artpiece in full or perhaps even purchase one of the 13 editions for only 3 hive coins, then you can head over to https://nftshowroom.com/gallery/julianhorack_collages-julescape-q4-2023_harness-your-dragon-2 and admire all the works in the gallery.