Art means different things to different people. And for NFT artist Trevor Jones, art was probably what saved his life. A traditional painter whose works are mostly in oil on large canvases, Jones is an unconventional figure in the crypto art space, which is teeming with digital artists. Today, however, he is one of the most renowned NFT artists, whose works have sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.
“It feels surreal,” Jones says of his journey NFT evening in an exclusive interview. “It was a very long journey. So I feel privileged and honored and blessed. Unexpectedly. But it’s been quite a journey.”*
Jones speaks to us via Zoom call from his studio in Scotland and is as humble as ever. His paint-splattered studio (at least what we can see) has all the hallmarks of a typical traditional artist’s studio — desks and shelves strewn with paints, brushes, and other tools. A large work in progress by hangs on the wall behind him Steampunk bull in the oil.
So how did one academically trained painter how Trevor Jones is making a name for himself in the burgeoning NFT space?
But who is Trevor Jones?
Admittedly, unlike most traditional painters, Trevor Jones did not start painting at a young age. “I started my art journey 20 years ago. I was 32 years old; I wasn’t young.”
By this time Jones had moved to Edinburgh, Scotland from Western Canada. He was fight against depression when he decided to find salvation in art. After an undergraduate degree, he enrolled in the MA Fine Art program at Edinburgh University and Edinburgh College of Art in 2003. He was 38 years old when he graduated. And what awaited him was not pretty.
“I was trying to figure out how to be an artist and how to make a living,” he recalls. “Like most artists, I worked two or three jobs, ran a small arts charity, and taught part-time. I knew many of the artists who work and live here in Edinburgh and saw the impossibility of making a living as an artist. There were very few artists that I knew personally who were doing well.”
At this point, Jones quickly realized a few things. First, he had two “moderately successful” gallery shows in 2010 and 2011. The experience made him understand the exorbitant expense that went into creating an exhibition – from the cost of materials to the cost of the studio.
To make matters worse, galleries were taking 45-50% in commissions. At the end of the day, despite selling about 80% of his work, Jones didn’t even have enough money to pay for another year’s overheads.
“I realized pretty quickly that I had to think outside the box, that I had to do it differently,” he says. “So I was interested in exploring new possibilities.”
Transition from QR code art to augmented reality and more
“The other thing that happened was when I was in art school,” adds Trevor Jones. “I read in a study that on average a person looks at a painting or piece of art for 17 seconds before moving on to the next piece of art. And that really stuck with me. I thought, ‘It’s interesting…is there any way I can explore this and try to find ways to get people to engage with my art for more than 17 seconds?’”
For Jones, the new opportunity he was looking for came knocking during his solo show, The Poem of Ecstasy, in 2011. During the show, he noticed QR codes that immediately piqued his interest. With more research, he realized the full potential that QR codes could have for his works. He soon used them as advertising material for his exhibition.
“But before the show even opened, I was already wondering if I could paint these and actually make scannable QR code paintings,” Jones recalls. “Then these QR code paintings would open up to another dimension – an online gallery. And that’s what we ended up building; an online gallery where other artists from all over the world can also upload their own artworks.”
In 2013 he switched to augmented reality (AR) to bring his images to life. However, he struggled to persuade other artists to use the technology or galleries to display his innovative artworks.
“That’s essentially how the transition went – from trying to figure out how to keep viewers engaged with my paintings for longer, to telling new stories and unlocking digital dimensions with technology through the artwork. And it only took another five or six years of denial to finally wait for this crypto and NFT art space to open up.”
Trevor Jones’ foray into the NFT space
As someone who has worked at the intersection of art and technology for over a decade, entering the NFT space was a natural progression for Trevor Jones. In a way, his NFT journey was started in 2017 when he bought some Bitcoin. Although crypto art was a novel concept at the time, Jones found himself conceptualizing a crypto-themed painting exhibition.
Despite the major crypto crash of 2018, in which Jones “lost everything,” he continued with his exhibition. and CryptoDisruption, Trevor Jones’ solo show, started in the same year. Around the same time, more crypto artists started entering the space. With the launch of marketplaces like SuperRare and MakersPlace, NFTs fell under Jones’ radar. But he admits he’s been slow to embrace NFTs.
“Although I had heard of NFTs, I wasn’t sure how they would fit with my painting,” says Jones. “I saw myself as a physical, traditional painter”. It took him over five months to figure out how it would fit into the NFT and digital art space. At this critical juncture he met the late NFT artist Alotta Money.
“Alotta Money told me he would help me,” Jones adds. “He basically held my hand the entire time we worked together.”
The result was Trevor Jones’ Genesis NFT drop called “EthGirl‘ which was released on SuperRare in late 2019. This was just the beginning of greater things to come.
To become one of the best NFT artists of all time
In the months that followed, Trevor Jones released a series of NFTs, each in collaboration with notable artists such as Pak and Jose Delbo. But arguably its release in 2021 –bitcoin angel, takes the crown as his most popular work.
The exquisite painting is inspired by Gian Lorenzo Bernini Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1652). It shows an angel thrusting an arrow into Teresa’s heart, with a gold bitcoin token in the background.
“It was my first solo open edition – it was just perfect timing,” says Jones. When he fell down bitcoin angel, He had established a good reputation in the world, which certainly worked in his favour. Also, the crypto market was on another bull run.
However, he was not only “over the moon” during the drop, but also “terribly scared”. If this drop didn’t sell, it might have had to “crawl back into the old art world.” Incredibly, the painting not only sold, but broke sales records after grossing $3.2 million in just seven minutes. A total of 4,158 copies of the play were sold at Nifty Gateway for $777 each.
Trevor Jones on staying motivated
Jones finally found the redemption he was looking for, more than a decade after entering the art world. What kept him going despite multiple cancellations and failures was his “stubbornness” and “fear of failure”.
“When I graduated from art school, I had nothing. I had no money, no contacts and no family here in Scotland. I really only had myself,” he says. “So it motivated me to do absolutely whatever I needed to do to put everything I’ve earned back into my art career… work as much as possible.” It was this sense of urgency — I saw the future coming fast, and I didn’t want to be 65 or 70 and still be a struggling artist.”
In addition, Jones did not get good grades in art school, despite putting a lot of time and energy into his work. A major reason, he claims, was personal issues with his main teacher.
“That’s what drove me, too,” he says. “[I thought]”I’ll prove it to you [his tutor] that I am an artist. Your opinion of my work has nothing to do with what I will do in the future.’ So it was a bit of a chip on my shoulder, a bit of attitude that got me through a lot of tough times.”
Trevor Jones Exclusive Event: The Stirling Castle Party
Now Trevor Jones is getting ready for a unique special edition castle party. As the most exclusive crypto event of the year, it will be held at Stirling Castle in the heart of Scotland. The event is scheduled to take place on July 30th and is for holders only Bitcoin angel. The festival will feature performances by DJRT, tribal drums and pipe band Clanadonia and Dusty the Magician to name a few.
Interestingly, Jones came up with the idea for the party on Twitter. He wondered what to do after that Bitcoin angel Drop when an NFT collector on Twitter suggested throwing a castle party for it Bitcoin angel collector. One thing led to another and a dedicated Discord server later, the castle party is now coming to life.
“It went from a crazy idea to something that we plan to be an annual or semi-annual event,” says Jones. “Each time we choose a different country, a different castle and invite Bitcoin angel holders to celebrate art, technology, innovation and above all friendship.”
“The idea was – especially after COVID and lockdown – there are a lot of really important things in life,” he adds. “And money isn’t really a part of it…Meeting people in real life and making friends is something special and you hold on to it your whole life.”
In addition, the event will also support the Maggie’s Center in memory of Alotta Money, who passed away from cancer in March 2022. Maggie’s is a local charity offering free cancer support across the UK.
Trevor Jones’ desire to be unique is also reflected in his choice of castle party location. Perched on a huge volcanic outcrop, Stirling Castle has witnessed some of Scotland’s most historic events. Indeed, what could be a more appropriate place for an artist to blend traditional art with the digital while challenging the old art world?
*Quotations are shortened and edited for clarity
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