CoinBurp NFT Artist Interview — Richard Dixon: From Traditional Street Art to CryptoArt in the Metaverse!
In this week’s edition of the NFT artist interview series we touched base with Richard Dixon, a Californian street artist that has bridged into the world of NFTs and digital art since late 2020, coming from the roots and foundations of when NFTs first started gaining traction.
Richard Dixon has been at the forefront of the NFT and Digital Art movement having built a dozen NFT art galleries in Cryptovoxels, a platform at the forefront of the cryptoart metaverse community.
Thank you Richard Dixon for taking the time to conduct this interview and give us some insights into your journey and opinions on the traditional vs digital art sectors.
Could the NFT market disrupt the total traditional market sales one day? Is the growth of the NFT market at the expense of the traditional art market? Or can they both co-exist and boost each other with platforms like CoinBurp? Let’s explore it.
Richard Dixon: Yes, but not in a bad way. It’s a win/win for everyone. Artists, collectors, galleries, and museums all benefit from technology that is capable of tracking artist provenance, history, who the owner is, and every transaction along the way. A public blockchain such as Ethereum makes it possible to store this information in a trustless way, with a paper trail able to be viewed by anyone in the world. Platforms like CoinBurp will play an important role in how we interact.
Imagine you walk into the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. You trust the museum has obtained his works properly, and that you are viewing authentic art history. One of my favorite self-portraits Van Gogh did is on permanent display in the museum. In this portrait he has this dark look that stares right through the viewer into the void:
At the bottom of the above page is the most important detail of all, the provenance. Without a paper trail leading back to Van Gogh painting portraits in a park on the back of a used canvas in the summer of 1887 in Paris, there is no guarantee of authenticity. You can right-click-save Van Gogh’s portrait for free.
Public blockchain provenance is a renaissance type of event in terms of art history evolution. The transformation that is taking place unlocks value between digital artists and collectors in a new way, and a community has emerged as a result. GM. Coffee?
This community hangs out on Twitter, Discord, Telegram, and mints on public blockchains like Ethereum for all to see. Digital provenance makes it possible for artists to earn an income publicly signing their works. You can right-click and save a Zam or Miss Al Simpson painting, but you can’t prove you own one without it being in your Ethereum wallet and a history leading back to the artist’s original mint. That’s dope!
All art history will be recorded on a public ledger out of cultural importance. It is already being done with Ethereum, and my belief is that decentralized trustless state machines will play an important role in our future. We get to enjoy this moment together, as artists and collectors, and a new generation of art culture is born, led by our mascot, Vitalik.
How important are platforms like Twitter to grow an audience? Which social platform helped you to build your NFT art audience?
I joined Twitter to participate in conversations going on around NFTs and Ethereum. At the time most of us were hanging around Discord and Telegram online, but Twitter is where most of the big news would drop. Staying plugged in and engaged is important.
What alternatives/platforms do you rely on to grow a community? How can NFT marketplaces (e.g. CoinBurp) help with that?
Platforms like Twitter and Discord are good for engagement, but you also need support from the broader community as well so integrated NFT marketplaces like CoinBurp are a great way to reach collectors. Artists are always looking for new ways to gain exposure.
As an artist, what led you to digital art instead of traditional segments? What factors played in that decision?
I have experience with both digital and traditional art. For me, digital art is more rewarding because there is a direct outlet to reach a larger audience, as opposed to a physical painting displayed in a gallery.
When looking at my work, the first thing people notice is usually the hearts. Richard Dixon loves you. That is my message. My work is provocative in nature. I want you to feel something.
That’s why I love painting with heavily saturated colors and using brushes that respond to pressure on the iPad so I can leave extra paint and brush marks. Digitally painting without creating a mess in the process or burning through art supplies is great. I enjoy painting on an iPad as much as stretched canvas on acrylic.
With the rise of NFT marketplaces, is it more economically viable for artists to go digital?
Yes, from a cost standpoint, but not everyone has transferable skills and it depends on the artists preferences as well. It is still possible to participate in the NFT market with physical artwork, it is just much more difficult.
We see that you are heavily involved in Art Metaverse and innovatively created your own digital art gallery, tell us more about that…
Yes, I was one of the first people to throw an NFT party in the metaverse in Cryptovoxels in one of my galleries. I have built a dozen Cryptovoxels galleries so far and really enjoy the community, displaying the artworks at scale, and hanging out in VR.
Do you see yourself creating in both arenas (Traditional and digital)? How can they overlap, in your opinion?
Yes, as long as I enjoy the process then I will create art because I have to. There is no other way to describe it other than an intense desire to create. That feeling is important.
Do you see a future of collaboration between legacy artists and NFT creators?
Yes, for anyone who wants to participate in NFTs the doors are open and now is the time to walk through. I think there has never been a more collaborative time in history for artists and I think it’s a great time to explore partnerships and other opportunities together.
Do you think the NFT market will overcome the traditional market in sales and popularity?
They will become one in the same where all traditional works will be recorded as NFTs for sake of historical reference and for transactions. The big auction houses are already moving in that direction and carving out a path so they can have a seat at both sides. Art history is culturally vital to humanity. We all enjoy art, and now, it is making its way to more and more people to own and enjoy. I think it’s a win/win for everyone.
Well thank you very much for that very detailed outlook on the growing NFT and digital art space, it was great to have opinions from someone who comes from the traditional art world and has bridged into the cryptoart space, being one of the early creators of NFTs. CoinBurp Loves You!
Kindly find links to Richard Dixons website and socials to explore his project and discover his wonderful collections of cryptoart.
Website: https://www.richarddixonart.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDixonART?s=20
Metaverse: https://www.richarddixonart.com/metaverse
OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/richard-dixon-art
Async: https://async.art/u/richarddixonart/collection
Don’t forget to check out the article coming soon: The art market and NFTs: Opposing threats or a joint opportunity. Keep on the lookout on the CoinBurp Medium for that.
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About CoinBurp
CoinBurp is the cryptocurrency platform partner for the $BURP ecosystem that includes Cede Fields Ltd for token issuance and CB Defined Ltd for DeFi products. CoinBurp is the design partner of the MealDrops NFT series. The tokens are not issued or controlled by CoinBurp.
About $BURP
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