Hot Lips | NFT Traits

LIPS & EYES- these traits are all based on my most common spray paint techniques and the mechanics behind creating them. There is a correlation between spray paint cap, level of propellent, and applied cap pressure. Over time, this just becomes intuitive.

Lustful: Spray paint on a rag and smeared across.

1/2 Can: Using a basic spray cap on a 1/2 full can of paint. Pressure decreasing as the can feathers off to the right.

Plastered: Narrow heavy spray and then smeared with a palette knife.

Mist: Really soft pressure with a fat cap.

1/4 Can: This effect is wildly unpredictable. I use a semi-clogged needle spray cap with a 3/4 empty can of spray paint. This causes paint to spit out of the can with different densities. It is a cool effect but very unpredictable. I often find myself scraping away at some of the thicker spots that spit out. Perfectly imperfect.

All of these traits were actually created by hand using real spray paint on clear acetate or bright white cotton rag.

80’s Dojo: The bold yellow and red reminds me of karate schools in strip malls during the 80’s. The psychology behind this bold color combination is known to create a sense of power and danger. It is also known to stimulate hunger. Can you think of any food establishments that use this color palette?

Virgil: When I was creating this series, I learned of Virgil Abloh’s passing. The off-white background pays tribute to him and his contribution to design and culture. In case you didn’t know, his brand was called off-white.

Sorbet: Bold pinks and magentas have become a staple in my work. I extracted this specific color from a cup of Sorbet I grabbed in Koreatown. Yes, I carry around a digital color extractor because I am a color nerd.

Soviet: When I was in college studying the history of illustration, I was particulary drawn to the aesthetics of Soviet propaganda posters. They were the inspiration behind this color combination. You can certainly see how my earlier portrait work was influenced by that illustrative style.

Mint: This color combination is non-existent across my body of work. It feels so serene and inviting while my other works are more of a colorfull “kick in the teeth.” I wasn’t fully aware of why I had such a strong resistence to using colors like greens and yellows. Maybe it’s because I felt in control of my vibrant color palette. Colors like green and yellow felt invasive and destructive with their ability to muddy the color harmony of my work. Through a pivotal shift in my life, I found my form of personal enlightenment through meditation which gave me the awarness that great things happen when we step outside our comfort zone…. and to let paint dry before adding yellows greens.

Victorian: This bold color contrast may not be something that comes to mind when you think of the Victorian Era. To my surprise, these are the two predominent colors that I extracted from the Victorian-style paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Crisp: Is there such a thing as the color of “purity” when there is controversy surrounding whether or not white is a color at all? Techincally speaking, white and black are shades that change colors. Even in pure white, we find those shades of grey (Metaphorically speaking.) You may be suprised if you were to look back at my design work from when I was a fine art student. I had a very clean “Apple-esque” approach to graphich design in contrast to when I am painting and my approach is more like the Swedish chef from the muppets. (Link to Swedish Chef from the muppets.)

OG: This was the first.

Parisian: Among a lot of other strange things, I have a vintage French flag in art studio. This prussian blue color was extracted from this old and degraded flag. With exposure to UV rays and other elements, there were many shades of blue to choose from. I extracted the darkest shade because the face is a silhouette that’s much morer readable when it is over a lighter background.

Atelier: The inlay of this Hot Lips silhoutte is the floor of my art studio which is located in an old rope factory in Brooklyn. I have been in the same studio since 2011 and a lot of paint has built up over the past 11 years. My art studio has always been a sacred space for me. No matter what chaos existed outside my studio walls, it was inside where I was able to channel it. Yes, there was a lot of chaos. More on that later. Initially, I was hesitant to invite people into my studio because it was the one place where I felt free to express it all. As my career began to pickup, press outlets insisted that they interview me inside my studio. The first person to ever come and interview me in the studio asked how they can buy the floors if I eventually move to a new space. The reaction was inspiring and it immediately opened me up to having visitors to the studio more often. Now, I love having visitors. If you own a Hot Lips NFT, you have an invitation to visit my studio anytime.

Ricky: This trait is particularly special to me. It pays homage to a photograph taken by a friend of mine who passed away last year. His name was Ricky Powll and he was the epitome of a true New Yorker. If the name sounds familiar it’s probably because Ricky was a legendary street photographer who captured some of the most iconic photos of celebrities in their most authentic form. Right now, I am sitting in my bed writing this and on the wall in the background are two of Ricky’s photographs. RUN-DMC in Paris and Eazy-E in New York City. However, my favorite photo of Rickys was one he took of a husky that he used to walk as a side hustle. I love the look on the dog’s face in relation to the trippy light effect that looked like a sonic bullet. Here is a link to the photo that inspired this special trait. I highly recommend checking out the showtime documentary on Ricky’s life called “The Individualist”. Rest in Peace Uncle Sloppy.

Cerebral: As artists, we sometimes hit creative blocks. It is a very frustrating feeling that tends to snowball. What I have come to realize is that sometimes it’s important of being mindful to allow yourself space to be mindless. What do I mean? Sometimes we use too much mind that results in us getting in our own way. One technique I use to break through is to paint blindfolded. The cerebral trait was created during this breakthrough process. I closed my eyes and just began scribbling poetry on a piece of aluminum.

Gilded Graff: The results from creating the cerebral trait were very cool. It was purely an expression of body and soul. I used part of the aluminum from the cerebral trait to create this one. Using 24k gold glitter, I mixed it up with a clear medium and splashed it on the painted metal. I guess you can call this the “mind” component of the process.

Metascapes: The backgrounds for the metascape pieces were all created during the pandemic. My wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) and I were heading to Orlando to take our family to Disney. The date was 03/12/2020. As the world changed the next day and our trip obviously canceled, we rerouted to her parent’s house in Connecticut and ended up staying for 8 months. Meanwhile, my art studio back in Brooklyn was full of unfinished pieces. Many of which were for a big show in Shanghai that never took place. I grabbed whatever materials I could but was limited to polished aluminum, raw pigment, metal acids, and some acetone.

I have been called an “irresponsible alchemist” when it comes to my use of materials but I like to think of myself as a “resourceful adventurer/chemist.” However, without access to a slightly wider range of materials, things were bound to become uniquely challenging.

We were staying in a house that was right on the water which felt secluded from the rest of the world. I created a makeshift studio in the attic but I did most of my painting outdoors by the water. Something occurred with the way the acetone and acids affected the metal that I have never been able to replicate in my own art studio. It was almost as if began to glow and instead of that effect evaporating, it was locked into the metal. Surreal is something I wouldn’t use to describe my art but it’s the only word that I can think of to describe the results from this process. I came to learn that it was the salt in the ocean air that was catalyzing this effect. Around the same time, I was learning about the metaverse. My first visual example of what the metaverse may look like was the Mars House which was built by my friend Krista Kim. The house was beautiful and innovative on all levels. It inspired me to think about how I would want my metaverse to look if I were to build my own. The organic patterns left by the evaporated medium and its color luminosity reminded me of landscapes and sunsets. This is where the name “metascapes” originated from.